Slainte
by Failte
Summary: This story takes place within my Voltron universe, a few years after A Sunny Ceremony, as Tess leaves Arus for the summer to find herself and Declan comes to terms with the changes going on during peace times. Pure fluff and fun. **Finished**
1. Uneasy

Hi All,

It's been a while, hasn't it? I came up with Tess's story years ago, but never went through with it. After receiving a message from a reader asking a question that I had planned to answer in Tess's story, I decided to finally put it down on paper (or screen) and came up with this story.

This will be another romance, so if you're looking for an adventure story...sorry. This will all just be fun, fluff, and romance.

Enjoy!

Failte

* * *

Declan Whitaker leaned over the railing and looked out over the skyline of Alforia. In the years since his father and the rest of the original Voltron Force had landed on Arus, the planet's capital had grown by leaps and bounds. Over two million people now called it home, there was a thriving economy of stores, restaurants, theaters, a military academy, and a large university. More communities sprang up across the planet, as the population grew from people immigrating from other planets and the growth of Arusian families.

His mother, Queen Allura, was so proud of her planet. It was safe now, the Voltron Force, both the original and new, had seen to that. There had been no serious threat in over five years. The Arusian people felt safe and secure, able to build their lives and their planet.

His father, Commander Keith, still led the Arusian military as they trained and grew, ready to protect Arus and keep it safe. It was his leadership and reputation that kept threats at bay and brought others seeking his advice and support.

Declan was proud of his parents and all they had accomplished. For as long as he could remember, Arus had always seemed safe and beautiful. Even when he and the rest of the Force fought Vinn years before, he knew they would win and he knew Arus would survive. He had read the history of his home planet and heard stories firsthand from his parents and their friends, but it just hadn't seemed real. He couldn't imagine the beautiful landscape before him destroyed and barren. The Force and his mother had saved this planet.

And his parents had done it all while raising six children.

His oldest sister, Cady, was the married mother of two young boys, living in a cottage on the castle grounds with her husband, Tristan, the pilot of Blue Lion. She worked with her mother, helping Allura with the day to day duties of running the planet, sitting in on cabinet meetings, and stepping in for mother when she couldn't attend state affairs.

Declan was still leading the Voltron Force, of which his twin brother was also a part. Gideon flew Yellow Lion and had married his longtime girlfriend, Lynnai, the year before. The newlyweds were living in the castle, but they were getting antsy to find a place of their own. Gideon and his father had come to an agreement that as long as they were in peace times, Gideon and Lynnai could move out, but if the planet were ever in danger again, they would move back to the castle so he could get to Yellow when he needed to.

Keith and Allura had offered to build their son and his wife a home on the castle grounds, as they had with Cady and Tristan, but Gideon had gently turned them down. He and Lynnai want their own home, entirely their own. And Gideon had confided to his brother that if they all had homes on the castle grounds as they each married it would turn into some kind of little town, Whitakerville, he called it. They were a very close family, but it was time for them to find their own way in the world.

The three youngest Whitaker children still lived in the castle. Nick, the youngest, was proving himself to be a very talented athlete. Baseball and football were two more things the original Force had brought to Arus with them and Nick was being touted as the best baseball player on his team.

Charlotte had just finished her senior year in high school. His littlest sister had always loved asking questions, solving puzzles, and reading mysteries. After talking with Paton Landers, Hunk's wife and the chief of police in Alforia, Charlotte had decided she wanted to be a detective some day. In the fall, she was starting her studies in criminal justice.

That just left Tess, the middle girl and the middle child in the Whitaker family. Declan always felt more protective of Tess than his other two sisters. It wasn't that she couldn't take care of herself, after Cady had been kidnapped a few years ago at Christmas and Tess had been taken by a disgruntled former pilot, all the girls were taught basic hand-to-hand and self defense by Hunk. None of them were helpless or silly. But there was something about sweet Tess.

As the smartest of all of them, even skipping the ninth grade and still graduating at the top of her class, she had just graduated from the university with a double major in art history and creative writing. What she was going to do with those degrees was anyone's guess. Tess was a talented writer and artist, but she wasn't sure yet what she wanted to do. She was quiet, but not shy; very sweet with a romantic soul, but a sensible mind.

The truth was, with their inheritance, the Whitaker children could all lie around the castle and watch TV all day. But their parents had instilled strong work ethics in their children along with a desire to help people and make a difference. As the current sixth person in line for the throne, Tess knew she had no real chance of ever ruling and she had no interest in flying or working in the military. She could happily spend the rest of her life at the university, collecting degrees, but she wanted more. In the morning, Tess was leaving to fly to Terra and spend the summer with her Aunt Dana. She hoped to find some direction in her life while there.

Declan inhaled deeply and lifted his head up to the pink and orange streaked sunset. The breeze was refreshing, but warm, marking the end of spring as summer moved in. Truth be told, Declan was feeling the same way. He was ready for more in his life. He worked hard, staying in shape, both physically and mentally, ready to defend his home. But there was nothing to defend against at the moment.

A couple of years go, the Force started training in flying the planes of the Air Brigade. Keith wanted them to be able to fly any ship that was on the planet. They had all taken to it quickly and Sky had even decided to look in to teaching flying, she was working toward her teaching certificate.

Sky and Erik were also still living in the castle. Sky was flying and Erik was helping with Air Brigade training. They were blissfully, sickeningly happy. Eventually, they would move out on their own too, but they hadn't decided yet if it would be on Arus or Pollux.

Declan was so lost in thought, he didn't realize he was not alone until a familiar pair of arms slid around his waist.

"Hey, handsome, looking for a good time?" Brina's breathy whisper caressed his ear as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

He smiled. "With you? Always."

After a whirlwind romance, Declan and Brina had endured a painful break-up brought on by his inability to deal with the pressures of leading the Force. But they were able to work through their problems and they reunited at Erik and Sky's wedding. The second time around, they had taken it more slowly and were closer and more in love than they had ever been before. She was his girlfriend, his partner, his best friend.

"What's on your mind?"

Declan turned and slipped his arms around her. "Not much."

"Thinking about Tess?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think you have a need to be concerned?" She asked, tilting her head back to look up at him.

Magic surrounds the Arusian royal family. Declan and Gideon discovered at a young age that they both had special powers. Gideon was an empath, he was deeply in tune to the emotions of those closest to him and he had the ability to soothe people and make them feel better. Declan had a special form of second sight, it tended to be hazy and bit vague, but he could usually tell when something was going to happen to those closest to him and, more often than not, it was not something good.

When Keith and Allura learned this about their sons, they decided to seek out the advice of an old family friend, and wizard, Kadmus. It was decided that when they turned 10, he would work with the twins to sharpen their skills. Unfortunately, Kadmus died before they could start. Wizards were very hard to find and it was even more difficult to find one you could trust. Keith searched for a few years, but they couldn't find one they felt comfortable enough to train their children and, as time went on, it just fell to the wayside.

The family had learned over the years to trust Declan when he said he had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. Ever since Tess announced her plans to travel to Terra for the summer, he had been feeling uneasy.

"Dec?"

He looked down at his girlfriend and smiled. "I'm sure she'll be fine. I just feel…uneasy, not like she's in any serious danger, but something…something just doesn't feel _right_."

"Did you talk to her about this?"

He shrugged. "She thinks I'm being too overprotective."

"You are."

"I know."

"Lynnai told me she and Gideon have an appointment to see a house on Friday."

"Oh yeah? Which one?"

"The two story, four bedroom one on 4th Avenue. She wanted to know if we wanted to go with them to see it."

"Sure."

Brina rose on her toes and kissed him gently. "She'll only be gone for three months and your father has taken every precaution."

"I know."

"Come on." Brina stepped out of his embrace and took his hand. "I'll let you buy me a drink."

* * *

Tess stuffed one more shirt into the duffle bag and tugged the zipper closed. She finally felt ready. This trip to Terra came from the need to travel she had started feeling just after the holidays. As her graduation drew near, the need to get out and explore had become almost unbearable. The overly protective bubble her parents had built around her and her siblings was starting to suffocate her. So, Tess sent her Aunt Dana an email asking if her open invitation to come visit any time was still open. Dana and her husband Harry lived in a small town in Pennsylvania. Their son, Doug, had recently moved to Missouri for a new job and their daughter, Tracy, was spending the summer studying overseas. Dana was dreading the empty nest and gladly welcomed Tess to visit.

Throwing the duffle bag next to her computer bag and another suitcase, Tess called out, "Come in!" when there was a knock on her door.

The door slid open and Queen Allura swept in. "Are you ready to go, sweetheart?"

Tess nodded. "I think so."

Allura sat on the edge of her daughter's bed and patted the spot beside her, waiting for her daughter to sit beside her. "Good, good. Dinner is going to be ready in about an hour and everyone should be arriving soon."

Tess had tried to convince her mother that she didn't need some big send off party before leaving, but their family, including the members of the original Force and their families, always got together for things like this. She really disliked being the center of attention and didn't want them to make a big deal out of her leaving.

"Cady, Tristan, and the boys should be here any minute. Sammy is going to miss you so much."

Tess smiled at the thought of her nephew. "I'm going to miss him, too. And Jake."

Allura took her daughter's hand in hers and squeezed. "You'll call often, won't you?"

"Of course."

"I hate you being so far away for so long."

"I'll be fine, Mom."

"I know. I just…" Allura trailed off.

"You're letting Declan get to you."

"His feelings are never wrong. And ever since what happened with Mytch Martyn…"

"Mom," Tess interrupted, "remember the time he was convinced Cady was in life-threatening danger and she had just fallen and skinned her knee?"

"Yes, but his visions have become clearer since then."

"I need to do this. I need to get out and…well, I hate saying this, it sounds so cliché, but I need to find myself. I want to explore."

Allura reached up and gently tucked the dark curtain of hair behind Tess' ear. "I know, sweetie. I…just, I wish I could help you. I wish I could help you find what you're looking for."

"I know, Mom, but you can't. This is something I have to do for myself. I'm an adult, I need to get out of this protective bubble you and Dad have put around us and find what I am meant to do."

Allura smiled, her eyes shining. "We are so proud of you, Tessy, your father and I. You have it in you to do so much in your life and all we want is for you to be happy. Go find your happiness, sweetheart."

Tess threw her arms around her mother and hugged her tightly. "I will, Mom, thanks for everything."

* * *

"I promise to bring you back something really cool."

"What?"

Tess looked into the big blue eyes of her nephew. "I don't know yet, Sammy, I have to get to Terra and go shopping."

"I wanna truck."

"You already own about 500 trucks."

"I wanna truck, please."

Tess laughed. "Well, since you asked so nicely, I'll bring you a truck."

He nodded, pleased with her answer. "You be back soon?"

"I'll be back before you start preschool, I promise."

"Or you could just not go," Declan said, falling onto the sofa beside his sister and nephew.

Tess rolled her eyes at him. "Lay off, Dec."

Her goodbye dinner had just wrapped up and the rec room was filled with her family and friends talking, laughing, and offering her advice on what to see and where to go while on Terra. Well, except for Declan who was trying to convince her to cancel the trip.

"Hey there, Handsome," Sky said, ruffling Sammy's hair as she sat down on the other side of Tess.

"Aun' Tess is gonna get me a truck," he told her.

"Yeah, because what you need is another truck," Sky teased her godson. "Has Uncle Hunk hit you up about bringing some Hershey's chocolate?"

Tess laughed. "The first time he asked was when I first announced I was going to Terra. He has reminded me once a week since."

"The man loves his peanut butter cups."

"Hey, Tess, what's left in your closet is fair game while you're gone, right?" Charlotte asked, leaning over the back of the couch.

"Touch my clothes and I'll break your fingers," Tess warned her little sister.

Declan snorted. "I want to see that."

Charlotte laughed, "I could kick your ass so easily."

Tess covered Sammy ears. "Hey, Char, watch what you say in front of the munchkin."

"He didn't hear me, did you, Sammy?"

Sammy narrowed his eyes at Charlotte. "You said ass."

Declan, Tess, and Sky burst out laughing.

Grinning, Sammy looked at each of them. "I gonna kick your ass!"

"Oh my god!" Cady screeched from across the room. "Declan, what are you teaching my son?"

"It wasn't me," Declan said, trying to stop laughing. "It was Charlotte this time."

Cady stormed over and picked up the little prince, swinging him onto her hip. "Seriously? Do you have any idea how hard it is going to be to convince him that's not funny?"

"Your kid, your problem."

She narrowed her eyes at her brother. "None of you are allowed unsupervised visits with any of my children."

"Until you need a babysitter," Charlotte pointed out.

"What's wrong?" Tristan asked, coming over to see what had his wife so upset.

"They're teaching our son to swear," Cady told him.

Tristan shrugged. "What did you expect, letting him around Declan and Gideon?"

"It wasn't me," Declan protested.

"I wasn't even over there," Gideon said from the other couch.

"Your bad influence is felt everywhere," Tristan told his brothers-in-law.

"Daddy!" Sammy held his hands out.

"Sammy!" Tristan mimicked his enthusiasm as he took him into his arms.

"I gonna kick your ass!"

Unable to contain himself, Tristan handed his son back to his wife so he could step away and laugh.

"Unbelievable!" Cady snapped, twirling on her heel she went to find her mother and her one year old son, Jake.

* * *

Sammy was curled up on the floor sound asleep and Jake was settled in his grandmother's lap also asleep. It was getting late, Lance and Darcy had already gone home, as had Hunk and his family and Pidge and his family had retired to their wing of the castle.

Tess was surrounded by her immediate family and Sky and Erik. She knew she should go to bed, it was nearing midnight and she had to be on the tarmac at 6 am. But this was going to be the last she saw them all together for three months.

"You have all your paperwork in order?" Keith asked.

Tess nodded. "Yup, all packed in my carry on."

"As soon as you land, I want you to call us on the communicator Pidge gave you, I want to test it ASAP."

"Yes, Dad."

"When you get to your aunt's house, I want you to…"

"Dad, seriously, I'm ready."

Keith nodded. "I know. Just…be careful."

"Here," Erik reached down beside the couch and held out a gift bag. "Sky and I got you something."

Touched, Tess took the gift. "You didn't have to do that. Thanks."

"I saw it and thought of you," Sky said.

Tess reached into the tissue paper and pulled out a black leather bound journal with the words _My Summer Adventures_ and the year embossed on the cover in gold letters. "I love it! This is perfect!"

"Well, I can't let them one-up me when it comes to giving my own sister a gift," Cady said, reaching into her large diaper bag. "Here, from us."

Tess unwrapped the flat package and found a matching sketchbook. "Oh, wow, you guys are awesome. Thanks!"

"Here, this is from Nicky, Gideon, Lynnai, Dec, Brina, and I," Charlotte said, holding out another gift.

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting this," Tess said as she opened her next gift. "You guys are just too much. I…oh, oh wow. You guys! This is incredible!"

Her siblings had all gone to give her a collection of time-of-the-line colored pencils, charcoal pencils, and graphite pencils, all organized in a case that rolled up neatly and was tied with ribbon.

"We're expecting a full report on your trip, complete with illustrations, when you get back," Allura told her.

"And if you don't feel like drawing, use this," Keith added, handing her a box.

"Mom, Dad, you didn't have to get me anything, you've helped me put this trip together," Tess protested, feeling a lump form in her throat.

"If she doesn't want it, I'll take it," Charlotte said, reaching for the present.

Tess smacked her hand away, "Over my dead body."

"Open it," Allura said, excitedly.

Inside the box was a DSLR camera, a case, and a small book that held six new memory cards.

"There should be enough cards in there so you can take about a million pictures," Keith told her.

Tess cleared her throat, trying to find her voice. Her family was so generous, so supportive. Suddenly, this trip, being so far away from them for so long, was not going to be as easy as she had thought it would be.

"Thank you all, so much," her voice cracked. "You, uh, you're making it hard for me to leave you, but I am so excited and I can't wait to come back and share my adventures with you all."


	2. Flynn's

Over thirty two hours after opening her gifts, Tess stepped off the transport ship and onto solid ground. She had never had the interest her brothers had in flying and this trip did nothing to change her mind.

"Well," she muttered under her breath. "If you want to travel, get used to it."

Making her way through the crowds to the meeting room where her aunt was to meet her, Tess pulled her communicator out of her pocket. She found a quiet corner and dialed up the castle.

"Castle Control, Arus."

Tess smiled. "Hey Uncle Lance."

He grinned at her. "Hey there, Tessy, did you make it safe and sound?"

There was a twenty second delay that made a real conversation nearly impossible. "I did, just looking for Aunt Dana now."

"Let me get your parents, they want to see you."

It took a couple of minutes, but Keith and Allura appeared in the tiny screen.

"You made it!" Allura cried. "How was the trip?"

"Fine. Glad to be on solid ground."

"Okay, we just wanted to make sure you were okay. If you need to talk to us, call any time." Keith told her.

"Have fun!" Allura added.

"I will. Love you."

"Love you too."

Tess snapped the communicator shut and slid it back into her pocket.

People were arriving from all over, ships landed and passengers disembarked. The noise was deafening as people yelled and cried and hugged. Tess wove through the crowd and spotted her aunt standing beside a newsstand.

"Aunt Dana!"

Keith's younger sister looked more and more like their mother with each passing year. Her face was soft and sweet, her hair still dark and thick, pulled back into a ponytail. The grin that crossed her face when she saw her niece was identical to her brother's. "Tess! How are you?"

Tess greeted her aunt with an enthusiastic hug. "I'm great! So glad to be here! How are you?"

"Wonderful, just wonderful! Come on, let's get your bags and then head home, I want you to get all settled in before dinner tonight."

"Where's Uncle Harry?"

"He couldn't get off work today, but he's hoping to get home early."

"Oh, he doesn't have to do that. I don't want you guys to disrupt your life for me."

Dana rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly. You're our guest and we're thrilled to have you here. Our home is your home, I know it's no castle, but I hope you can be comfortable."

Tess laughed. "I'll try."

"Good. If you need to go anywhere, feel free to use my car. Houten is a little town, but we're centrally located, we're really not far from anywhere."

"Great. I want to explore."

"You just let me know what you're looking for and I'll let you know where you can find it."

When her uncle arrived home that evening, they decided to take their niece to their favorite restaurant for dinner.

"We're going to get you some good, old-fashioned Terran food," Harry told her.

"I don't know if it can compete with Nanny's cooking."

"Nanny is still cooking?" Dana asked as they piled into the car.

"Not as much anymore, but she still hangs out in the kitchen and makes sure her recipes are followed exactly." Tess explained.

"We're taking you to Flynn's, it's a bar that just opened up about three years ago. The owner is a young man who came over from Ireland after graduating school to help his uncle open the place. Unfortunately, his uncle had a heart attack and died suddenly about three weeks before it was to open. But Griff decided to open it any way, he runs it now and he is doing a great job." Harry explained as they made their way out of their neighborhood.

Houten was a very small town of close neighborhoods surrounding a small Main Street that was home to local shops and restaurants. The street was lined with old-fashioned streetlamps with large flower baskets hanging from them. The traffic moved slowly as pedestrians crossed the street and filled the sidewalks.

The stores were all locally owned and most had silly names, like The Wooly Bully Yarn Shoppe; Snips, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails (pet grooming); All That Glitters (jewelry store); and A Pinch of Sugar (bakery). The storefronts were decorated with awnings and flower pots with several of them putting out water bowls for the people walking their dogs.

Tess was utterly charmed by the sweet town. It seemed her aunt and uncle knew every person who passed, waving and calling out greetings through their open windows.

"There's a bookstore right there, Tess," Dana said, pointing to a shop with a green awning, Page Turners. "It's right next to Flynn's. On the other side is a sweet little gift shop and there is a clothing boutique two doors down from there. We'll have to go shopping."

"Sounds like a plan," Tess said as her uncle pulled into a parking space in front of the bar.

Flynn's had the dark wood appearance of an aged pub, making it appear much older than it was. The weather was beautiful and people sat at small, umbrella shaded tables in front. One young couple had a small dog resting under their table.

"Do you like beer?" Harry asked.

"I do. I've only just come of drinking age seven months ago, but the twins have made it their job to educate me on quality beer." Tess told him.

"Good boys."

Tess looked up at the sign that hung above the entrance and stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth falling open. The carved wooden sign swung from a metal arm that stuck straight out above the door. Flynn's was carved in elegant script and underneath that was an elaborate design of entwined loops.

"Tess?"

Shaking her head, Tess turned to her aunt who was holding the door open for her.

"You okay?"

"Uh, yeah, Aunt Dana, sorry, I guess I am tired."

"Oh, dear. We'll eat quickly so you can get to bed early."

Tess nodded and followed her into the dimly lit bar, her right hand unconsciously moving to touch the watchband on her left wrist. Beneath the watchband, on the inside of her wrist just over her pulse point was a birthmark in the exact same shape of the entwined loops. Her mother had called it a "Love Knot."

* * *

Declan followed Brina into the house behind Gideon and Lynnai. It was a nice house, painted white with black shutters, a large wraparound porch, and a red front door. The real estate agent stood in the front hall and greeted them as they entered.

"Look at this living room!" Lynnai gasped, running over to the fireplace. "Think about it, Gid, we could put the Christmas tree here."

"You're already planning Christmas?" Gideon asked.

"I plan out Christmas in every house we see."

"Would you keep this paint color?" Brina asked, running her hand over the taupe colored wall.

Lynnai tilted her head, studying the wall. "Probably not. I do like the chair railing. I think I'd like to paint vertical stripes on the wall below the chair railing and solid above the railing. Oh! This means we can start looking at paint colors!"

"Yay, you get to start looking at paint colors," Declan whispered to his brother.

Gideon grinned at him, "Yes, I do."

"Come on! This is only the first room! Oh! Built-ins!" Lynnai crossed into the adjoining room.

"Dec, come with me." Gideon inclined his head to the front hall.

"Where?"

"We had looked this place up online and there should be…here." Gideon opened a door in the hallway and flipped up the light switch.

Declan followed his brother down a set of carpeted steps to a huge finished basement. "Whoa."

"Yeah, whoa." Gideon grinned. "I'm thinking pool table over here, fooseball there…"

"Nah, air hockey."

"Ohhhh…air hockey, I like the way you think. And in the alcove over there will be the big screen TV and a big couch. Surround sound, speakers throughout the room. And over there?" He pointed to the far wall and looked at his brother. "Bar."

"Lynnai know about this?"

"Any house with a finished basement, the basement is mine."

"I can't believe you guys are looking at a house already."

"Lynnai's pregnant."

Declan looked around at his brother, a small smile on his lips. "I figured it was something like that. When did you find out?"

"She took a test a couple days ago. We swore Becca to secrecy until we could tell everyone. How long have you known?"

"A few weeks ago, I had a feeling some little person was going to come into your life."

"Becca thinks she's about four weeks, so it's still early. We don't want word getting out to the press just yet."

"I get it. This is great news! Congrats, man!" Declan threw his arms around his brother in a back slapping hug.

"Yeah, thanks. We're pretty excited."

He released his brother. "When are you going to tell Mom and Dad?"

"We're planning on having Lynnai's parents up to the castle for dinner and tell everyone at once."

"That's a great idea."

Gideon studied his brother. "Talk to me, Dec."

"What about?"

"Come on, you can't hide from me."

"I'm just worried about Tess."

Gideon shook his head. "It's not that."

Declan sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know what to do."

"About what?"

"We're in peace times, there are no threats, we spend all day training and preparing for a non-existent battle. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels, man."

"You need a purpose."

"I do. But not a war, I don't want anyone to attack us or anything, but what am I working towards?"

"The security of Arus and the safety of our people."

"Arus is secure and our people are safe."

"Come on, Declan, you know we can't let our guard down."

"I know, I guess I'm just…I don't know…antsy."

"You're actually telling me you are _bored_ leading the Voltron Force?"

"What? No! Of course not."

"Well, I guess Tess isn't the only one going on a journey of self discovery, huh?"

"Don't mock me, Gideon."

"Oh, come on, you know I'm not."

"Yeah, I know." Declan muttered.

"Have you talked to Dad about this?"

"No."

"Maybe you should."

"And say what? That I'm not feeling fulfilled in my duties as Black's pilot? Yeah, that'll go over well."

"I don't think flying Black and leading the Force isn't fulfilling for you, I think you're just not sure what you want. What about you and Brina?"

"What about us?"

"Do you think, maybe, you're ready for the next step?"

"I'm perfectly happy with where we are."

"Are you? You don't seem perfectly happy."

"My relationship with Brina is the one thing I'm not doubting right now."

"There are a lot of changes going on," Gideon said. "You never did like that."

"Gideon, you down there?" Lynnai called from the top of the steps.

"Yeah!" He called back. "We're planning my man cave."

Lynnai all but skipped down the stairs. "You have to come and see the kitchen. Where's the TV going?"

He took her hand and pulled her over to the alcove. "Here, with a couch there."

"I don't want a couch down here, I want big comfy theater seats."

"But it's harder to make out in theater seats than a couch."

"True."

Brina sidled up to her boyfriend. "How're you doing?"

"I'm great. Looks like this is where I'll be hanging out when I'm not up at the castle." Declan said.

"I think they need to see the rest of the place before you start hanging out down here."

"Gid's ready to buy the place based on this room alone."

"Come on!" Lynnai pulled Gideon toward the stairs. "You have to see the kitchen and then we have to check out the bedrooms, pick which would be the best nursery."

Brina's eyes widened. "Nursery?"

Declan winked at her. "Come on, let's go see the rest of the house, if I'm going to be hanging out with Gid at his new house, I get a say in what house they buy."

* * *

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite customers!"

Harry laughed as they were greeted by a middle aged waitress. "Oh, Cathy, you're only saying that so I'll tip you better."

She grinned at him. "It can only help. Table for two?"

"Three tonight," Dana spoke up. "Our niece, Tess, is visiting for the summer."

Cathy pulled another menu off the pile and nodded to Tess. "Welcome to Flynn's, Tess."

"Oh, uh, thank you," Tess mumbled, still feeling flustered.

"You'll have to excuse her, she's been traveling all day," Dana whispered, conspiratorially.

"Oh, well, then come with me, we'll get you settled. You'll feel so much better when you get some food in you." Cathy led them through the half filled restaurant to a booth near the bar. "Can I get you a drink?"

After they placed their orders, Dana and Harry opened their menus, discussing what they might try. Tess stared at the menu in her hands. The cover was exactly like the sign out front. She knew the Love Knot, she had seen it every day of her life. When she was 13 her mother had told her the story of how she had the same birthmark on the back of her neck and that it had led her to Keith. Allura was convinced that this meant the Love Knot would lead Tess to find her soul mate. Tess had laughed it off. She knew that there was magic on Arus and there was magic in the royal family, but she didn't believe she lived in an actual fairy tale.

But this changed things. Other than the birthmark on her wrist, the birthmark on her mother's neck, and the scar on her father's chest, Tess had never seen the Love Knot before today. She had seen various Celtic knots, like the pendent Sky wore that Erik had given her years before, but none of them looked like this.

"Tess?"

She looked up at her aunt. "I'm sorry?"

"Are you okay? Do you want to go home?"

"No, I'm sorry, I'm fine." She flipped open the menu. "What do you recommend?"

Cathy appeared at their table and set their drinks in front of them. "If you're looking for something good, the burgers are the best in town and the shepherd's pie is to die for."

"Is Griff in tonight?" Harry asked.

Cathy shook her head. "Not yet. Mike called off sick tonight so Griff is going to cover the late shift on the bar, so he took a break between shifts, he'll be in in a couple of hours."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry we'll miss him. Be sure to tell him we stopped in."

"I will. He'll be sorry he missed you as well. He's been awful busy, though."

"Still working on starting up his brewery?"

"Yup, he met with the owners of the house behind this building, looks like he'll be buying that and turning it into the brewery."

"Good for him! He knows his beer, I'm sure he'll come up with some great things."

Cathy pulled the small pad out of her apron. "You guys ready to order or do you need more time?"

Dana looked at Tess, who nodded. "It looks like we're ready."

After they placed their orders, Harry looked across the table to his niece. "Griff, the guy who owns this place, is planning on starting his own brewery. He has done so much for this town, he's helped quite a bit with the Main Street revitalization."

"It's good for everyone's business for Main Street to be a place where people actually want to hang out," Dana added.

Tess cleared her throat. "The owner is named Griff?"

"Griffin McManus." Harry told her.

"Where did the name Flynn's come from?"

"Oh, Flynn was his uncle. They had planned on naming the place Irish Rose Bar and Grille, but after Flynn died, Griff decided to name it after him." Dana explained.

"What, uh, what is this?" Tess asked, pointing to the Love Knot printed on the napkin under her drink.

"Oh, I don't know, just a Celtic knot, I suppose. Griff came here from County Cork, Ireland about 6 years ago."

Tess looked around the warmly decorated pub and saw an Irish flag hanging behind the bar, shamrocks carved in wooden pillars, a large antique map of Ireland was framed and hanging on one wall, and signs of various Irish beers hanging throughout the room.

"You seem to know him well."

"Small town, everyone knows everyone," Harry told her. "And your aunt is on the town revitalization committee."

"Oh, Tess, tomorrow you should go check out Page Turners," Dana told her. "I know you enjoy reading and they have a great selection. New books, some old ones. I bet you'll have a lot in common with the owner's daughter, she's about your age."

"Yeah, okay, thanks. I'll check it out."

* * *

After returning to the castle, Declan changed into workout gear and headed out back for a run. It was a beautiful day and running around the lake and up through the woods would help him clear his mind, try and come up with a way to figure out what he wanted to do next.

"_There are a lot of changes going on. You never did like that."_

Gideon's words echoed through his mind as he stretched. No, Declan didn't like change, but there was nothing he could do about it. They were all getting older and starting their own lives. Cady was out of the castle with a family of her own, Gideon was about to move out and start his family, and Sky and Erik were probably going to as well.

He was perfectly happy in his relationship with Brina, but was he holding back on taking the next step because he was afraid of how things might change? Declan knew he was going to spend the rest of his life with her, so why not make it official? What could go wrong?

Maybe he felt stuck because he was afraid to make changes in what seemed so perfect right now.

Afraid?

Declan slowed to a jog.

Was he afraid?

Nothing will every change if you stay in one place in your life because it feels safe. Maybe it was time for him to stop being afraid and to make some changes in his life.


	3. Patience, Or A Lack Thereof

Tess packed her journal, sketchbook, and pencils into a knapsack and threw it over her shoulder. Picking up her camera case, she slipped the house key her aunt had given her into her pocket and set out to explore.

She was determined to know the meaning of the Love Knot on Flynn's sign. It could just be a coincidence, like her aunt said, maybe it was a Celtic knot. There were probably dozens of designs like that on Terra that had never made it to Arus. For all she knew, that could be a very common design in Ireland.

But she had stayed up late the night before, searching images of Celtic knots online and not one of them she found looked exactly like the design on the sign or her birthmark.

After cutting through a couple of narrow streets and taking a wrong turn, Tess finally found her way to Main Street. At 9 o'clock in the morning it was far less crowded than it had been the evening before. According to the sign on the door, Flynn's didn't open for lunch until 11:00, but the bookstore next door had just opened.

A tiny bell jangled when she pushed open the door and Tess instantly fell in love.

Page Turners was a small store where shelves lined the walls and formed aisles. The checkout was a counter made of old books stacked up four feet high and topped with a dark wood countertop. Behind it sat a woman reading a book, sipping from a steaming mug.

To the right of the door were two, old overstuffed chairs that begged to be sat on, in between them was an end table made to look like large books piled up. Classical music was playing, very, very quietly, enough to create atmosphere, but not enough to intrude on the quiet. The sparse spots of wall that weren't blocked by shelves were decorated with framed book jackets and, near the back in the children's area, were framed pages from picture books. And throughout it all was the sweet scent of old books.

"Can I help you?" The woman behind the counter asked. She appeared to be about Tess' age, maybe a couple of years older. Her hair was blonde and cut in a short bob, framing her friendly, round face. Her eyes were green and expressive, showing genuine curiosity about this new woman who had entered her shop.

Tess crossed over to her. "Um, well, this is my first day here and I thought I'd get the lay of the land."

She set her book down and smiled at her. "Welcome to our little town, I'm Paige Turner."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, my parents are quite the bibliophiles, they thought it would be a great name, for their store and their daughter. Good thing I love books or this name would be more of a curse than a quirky blessing. And you are?"

"Oh, sorry, I guess that was a rude reaction."

Paige shrugged, "I'm used to it."

"I'm Tess Whitaker."

"Nice to meet you, Tess Whitaker, what brings you to this town of ours?"

"I'm visiting for the summer, staying with my aunt and uncle, Dana and Harry Kopchek."

"Oh, the Kopcheks! Your aunt and uncle are wonderful people. I can't place your accent, though, where are you from?"

"I'm from Arus."

"Arus? Where is that?"

It had never occurred to Tess that people might not have ever heard of her home planet. "It's a planet in the Denubian Galaxy."

Paige's eyebrows disappeared into her bangs. "Wow, you really aren't from around here. How far away it that?"

"It's about 13.7 million miles away."

"What's it like there?"

"It's quite similar to Terra, with trees and flowers and four seasons. We do have three moons, though, and our snow has a pink tint to it."

"Pink snow?"

"It's lovely, really."

"Does that mean your aunt or uncle is from Arus too?"

"No, my father is from Terra, he's Aunt Dana's older brother."

Paige nodded. "Okay. What do you do on Arus?"

Tess hesitated. She liked the idea of being anonymous on Terra, not being called 'Your Highness' or having people try to sneakily take pictures while she walked down the street, no guards hovering around and no one pointing and whispering. She just wanted to be a normal, non-famous person.

"I, uh, I just graduated from the university, I haven't decided yet what I want to do."

"Oh yeah? Congrats. What did you study?"

"Art history and creative writing."

"Hm. Kind of limits your options, doesn't it?"

Tess laughed. "Yeah, my parents told me to study what I loved and I'd figure out how to use it."

"Have you written anything?"

"I, uh, I had a few short stories published in school." She had written them under the pseudonym Gabrielle Luther, so far no one had discovered it was her and the feedback had been positive. Tess had been worried that if she published under her own name, she wouldn't get fair reviews. They would either be positive because of who she was or negative to spite her.

The bell jangled and Paige and Tess both turned to see a young mother enter with two children.

"Good morning, Mrs. Lawson." Paige greeted her.

"Oh, good morning, Paige."

"Can I help you find something?"

"Oh, Elliot knows what he wants," she said pointing to her son who was already heading back to the children's area. "I told him that if he behaved at his grandmother's last weekend he could have a new picture book."

"Well, if you're going to resort to bribery, I'm glad it's books," Paige teased.

The bell jangled again and a pair of teenage girls walked in.

"Do you have any books on Celtic and Irish histories?" Tess asked.

"Yup, follow me." Paige got up from behind the counter and led her to a shelf about halfway down the wall to the right. "If you're looking for something in particular and we don't have it, we can order it. If it's in stock, we can usually have it in two days."

"Thanks." Tess skimmed the shelves of European history. She found a book of Celtic designs, one on ancient Irish myths and legends, and a history of Celtic jewelry. Dropping her bags on the floor, Tess sat Indian style with the Celtic designs book open on her lap.

* * *

"All right," Keith looked around the conference table. "Any other business?"

It was the weekly meeting of the old and current Voltron Forces. They had agreed on a new upgrade for their blasters and that Green's thrusters needed to be replaced.

The team was still meeting three mornings a week for full practice with their lions and once a week they formed Voltron. They also had target practice and work out sessions five days a week. Learning to fly the ships with the Air Brigade and furthering their education at the military academy or the university took up the rest of their time.

"Uh, yeah," Erik spoke up.

Everyone turned to their former commander.

"Go ahead," Keith said.

Erik grasped Sky's hand and took a deep breath.

"Don't be so dramatic," Lance said.

"I'm not being dramatic, this is big news," Erik told his father-in-law.

"Then spit it out."

At this point, the atmosphere in the conference room had changed. Everyone around the table had guessed what he was going to tell them, but no one wanted to ruin their moment.

"Oh, for Pete's sake," Sky snapped. "I'm pregnant."

"That's great news!" Keith got up and went around to hug her. "Congratulations!"

Following his lead, everyone rose to hug and congratulate the couple on their news.

"How far along are you?" Brina asked.

"I'm twelve weeks," Sky told her, running her hand over her stomach.

Declan hugged her, "I can't believe you were able to keep it a secret this long."

"It wasn't easy. You really didn't know?"

"I had a feeling." Declan hated this part of his gift, knowing when something big was going to happen to someone close to him even before they did. He had known Gideon and Lynnai were going to have a baby and he sensed the same for Sky and Erik, but he would have rather been surprised along with everyone else.

Keith punched Lance in the shoulder. "Ha! You're going to be a grandfather!"

"Yeah, yeah. But you'll always be older than me," his friend retorted.

"How long can you fly?" Gideon asked.

"I can fly until I don't fit behind the control panel," Sky told him.

"We're going to start giving her a lighter load," Erik said. "And we're bringing in a back-up pilot just in case anything happens, Sky won't be in battle."

"Do your parents know?" Hunk asked Erik.

"Yeah, my parents and Sky's parents have known for a few weeks now."

"I'm impressed you kept the secret for so long, Uncle Lance," Declan said.

Lance shrugged. "It wasn't easy, but Darcy and Sky threatened me with severe bodily harm if I let anything slip."

"Cady figured out that I was pregnant before anyone else," Sky said.

"She's convinced you're having a girl," Tristan added. "And she's already planning her wedding to Sammy."

"Ha ha. No." Erik said, humorlessly. "I heard your son the other night, he's got a potty mouth, he's not allowed near my kid."

"Are you going to find out what you're having?" Brina asked.

"We haven't decided yet," Sky told her. "I kind of want it to be a surprise, but I don't think I have the patience to wait that long."

"And you are so well known for your patience," Gideon muttered.

"All right, All right," Keith spoke up. "First of all, you're not allowed to pick on pregnant women, Gid, that's just dangerous. And second, you're all dismissed. Except, you Declan, stick around."

"Yeah, Dad, what's up?" Declan asked, as the others filed out.

"You all right?"

Declan shrugged. "Yeah, why?"

"You seem distracted lately."

"I guess I just have a lot on my mind."

"Is it Tess?"

"No. I don't think she's in any real danger. But, something is going to change."

"I've often wondered if, because of your gift, knowing what is going to happen to others doesn't make you question what you're doing with your own life."

Declan slowly lowered himself into a chair. "I had never really thought about that."

"Your mother and I have always worried about how your gifts affect you and your brother. You both seem to handle it well."

"We don't really have a choice."

"I know." Keith let out a long breath. "What can I do to help you?"

Declan smiled at his father. "I'm fine, Dad, really."

"Are things okay with you and Brina?"

"Yeah, things are great."

Keith sat back in his chair and studied his oldest son. "You're feeling a bit restless, aren't you?"

He shrugged. "I guess so. I feel like I'm kind of in a rut. We practice, we fly, we train, but for what?"

"So you'll be ready when and if we're ever attacked again."

"I know, but there is no known threat."

"Are you not happy in your position as Black's pilot?"

"What? No!" Declan leaned forward. "I love what I do. I love flying Black, I love leading the team and working with these guys. It's just…when we're done training for the day, what do I do then?"

"If it isn't your work, maybe you need to take a good long look at your personal life."

"I, uh, I've been thinking about taking the next step with Brina."

"Proposing?"

"Yeah."

Keith smiled. "Can't say I'm surprised. What's the hold up?"

Declan let out a breath, not sure if he wants to talk to his father about this.

"Wondering if your relationship can handle the changing dynamic of being married to one of your teammates?" Keith asked.

Declan looked up at him. "Yeah, I guess you could say that's part of it."

"Well, son, you had better come up with a way to figure out what you want to do next or you're never going to get out of this rut."

* * *

Tess had no idea how much time passed as she studied the images in the design and jewelry books until she heard someone clearing her throat. She looked up and saw Paige standing over her.

"You find what you're looking for?"

"Not yet."

"Well, I'm hungry. Want to go get lunch?"

"Uh, sure. Just, let me pay for these."

Paige followed her up to the counter. "Are you researching your ancestery?"

Tess dug in her knapsack for her wallet. "Hm?"

"All these books about Celtic and Irish history."

Trying to find the Love Knot was part of her heritage so Tess decided to go with that explanation. "Yeah, I thought I'd look into it while on Terra."

"So, Whitaker's an Irish name?

"Um, I think it's actually English, but my father said we have some Irish in us too."

"You should talk to Griff McManus, he owns Flynn's and is a very proud Irishman."

"Maybe I will."

"Want to do lunch there?"

"Uh, sure. Can you leave for lunch?"

Paige looked around the now empty store. "Don't see why not. The foot traffic eases up around now and I put the sign on the door, letting people know I'll be back in an hour."

Flynn's was doing a brisk lunch business when they walked in.

"Hey, Paige!" A waiter stopped in front of them, carrying a tray loaded with delicious looking food.

"Hey, Kevin, got room for us?"

"The bar okay?"

"Sure."

"Go ahead and seat yourselves."

"I guess I should've asked, do you mind if we sit at the bar?" Paige whispered to Tess.

"Oh, no, that's fine."

They found a couple of free stools near the far end of the bar, right next to the taps.

"Hello ladies, are you here for food or just drinks?"

Tess looked up and felt the sensation of all the breath being sucked from her body. On the other side of the bar was a tall, broad shouldered man with large blue eyes, a crooked smile, and a head full of unruly, dark red hair. When he spoke, he had a melodic accent that made her feel weak in the knees.

"Oh, we are eating and if you want to bring us a bowl of pub mix to tide us over until the food arrives, I _might _not gnaw on the bar." Paige told him.

He laughed and moved a bowl of a nut and pretzel mix in front of them. "Always the lady, Paige. You gonna introduce me to your friend?"

"Yeah, Griff, this is Tess Whitaker, she's Dana and Harry's niece visiting for the summer. Tess, this is Griffin McManus, owner, manager, part-time bartender, full-time pain in the ass." She poked through the bowl. "I think you got a bad batch here, where are the cashews?"

"They're in there, keep digging." He turned to Tess and offered his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tess."

Feeling foolish, Tess cleared her throat and took his hand. "And you."

"Where are you visiting from?"

"Uh, Arus." Tess was overwhelmed with feelings of shyness, there was something about this man that left her feeling nervous and fidgety.

"Arus? Where's that?"

"Uh, it's uh, it's in the Denubian Galaxy."

"Oh! You're from an entirely different planet?" He narrowed his eyes and studied her. "You look very human."

She felt herself blush under his scrutiny. "Well, I am half Terran and Arusians are human."

"Griff, I have a business to run, can we get menus, please," Paige pleaded.

Reaching under the bar, he pulled out two menus, handing one to Tess and using the other to smack Paige on the head before handing it to her. "Your lack of patience is disheartening."

"Well, maybe you can stand around flirting all day and call it work, but I have customers waiting and a shipment due in this afternoon."

Tess felt her cheeks darken even more at the implication that Griff was flirting with her.

"I can't help it if part of my job involves talking to pretty girls." He winked at Tess.

A waitress stepped up in front of the taps. "Is that why you're not filling my drink order?"

He flashed her a grin. "I don't see a drink order, Jenna."

She slid a slip of paper across the bar to him.

"I'll be back in a minute to take your order," he told Tess before turning to gather glasses.

"The burgers are really good," Paige said.

Tess looked at the lunch menu, trying to make sense of the words in front of her. She remembered Cady telling her once about the first time she had met Tristan. He had been standing in Castle Control with his commanding officer and their father. When Cady saw him, even before he had spoken to her, even before she knew his name, she knew she was in love with him. She said it hit her like a punch to the stomach.

Tess had just chalked that up to her older sister's romantic personality. She didn't believe in love at first sight. It just wasn't possible.

But what she had just felt was something entirely new.

Tess had dated, especially after her official 'Coming Of Age' ball 3 years earlier, but nothing serious had come from the dates. Her longest relationship was while she was at the university and had lasted about a month and ended amicably. She had never experienced real love before and she found it very hard to believe that her trip to Terra would lead her to a restaurant that used the Love Knot as its logo and whose owner was her soul mate.

"Tess?"

She looked up to see Paige and Griff both looking at her expectantly.

"Are you ready to order?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah, I'll have the bleu burger. Medium well, please. And a Coke."

"Ah! Good choice. My favorite. What about you, troublemaker?"

Paige scowled at him. "You're lucky the food here is so good or else you wouldn't get my business."

"And how would I ever survive without the money I make off you eating my complimentary pub mix and nursing one beer once a week?"

She slapped her menu into his chest. "Just give me the club sandwich, no tomatoes, and an iced tea."

"I'll be right back," Tess told Paige after he left to put their order in. "I'm going to use the restroom."

"Around the other side of the bar." Paige pointed.

There were two doors, one marked 'Lads' and the other 'Lasses'. Glad to see it was a single bathroom, Tess locked the door behind her and took a deep breath. She felt like a complete fool. She was smarter than this.

Holding onto the edge of the sink, Tess stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"You are Her Royal Highness, Princess Tess Alexandra Marie Whitaker," she whispered. "You are a grown woman with a good education and royal breeding. There is no reason why you should be tongue-tied and blushing. Grow. Up!"

There was a sharp knock on the door.

Taking a deep breath, Tess stood up straight and put on her best composed Princess face.

"Everything all right?" Paige asked when Tess slid back on to her stool.

"Yup. "

"So, what else do you have planned for today?"

"I don't really have any plans, I'm just kind of going with the flow."

"Hm, well, I hope you're not looking for a fast flow, not here in Houten."

"I'm sure there are some fun things to do around here."

Paige dug a peanut out of the mix and popped it in her mouth. "Griff has live music Friday and Saturday nights. We're a two hour drive from New York City, an hour and a half from Philadelphia. If you like shopping, there are tons of outlets within an hour of here."

"And from what I've seen, this is a beautiful area. I was thinking about exploring some of the woods."

"If you ever find yourself bored, feel free to swing by the bookstore. I usually work 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. My parents run it in the evenings and weekends. They still like to work, but they're only part-time now, eventually they'll retire and it'll all be mine."

"Are you happy here?"

"Yeah. It's my home. Why?"

Tess shrugged. "I don't know, I wish I could just be happy at home."

"Who got the burger?" Jenna, the waitress who had placed the drink order earlier, stood behind the bar with their meals.

"I did," Tess told her.

"I guess that means this is yours, Paige."

"That it is."

Jenna leaned against the bar and stole a chip off Paige's plate. "How's your brother doing?"

Paige rolled her eyes. "He's fine, Jenna, still engaged."

"You let me know if that ever changes."

"You'll be the first I tell."

"You have a brother?" Tess asked after Jenna left them alone.

"Uh huh, he's older than me and the only person in the family who doesn't read. Oh look at this! I said no tomatoes. Griff did that on purpose. Jerk. Do you have any brothers?"

"Three."

"Three brothers?"

"And two sisters."

"No way! Six kids?"

"Yup. And I'm smack in the middle."

"You're the middle child out of six? No wonder you wanted to get away. What do your parents do?"

Tess hesitated a moment. "Uh, my, uh Dad is a pilot and my mother…she runs the household."

"How's that burger?" Griff leaned against the bar and nodded to her plate.

"It's very good."

"Hey Griff, hold out your hand." Paige said.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

He extended his left hand to her and she carefully placed four tomato slices on it.

"Are you serious?" He asked her, laughing.

She smiled at him. "I said no tomatoes."

He tossed them in a garbage can under the bar and washed his hands in the sink. "I'm telling your mother about this."

"Tattletale. We'll take the bill, I do need to head back soon."

"It's on the house."

"What? No."

He winked at her. "I screwed up your order."

"You didn't screw up mine," Tess said.

"No, this is my way of welcoming you to town. Enjoy."

"Oh, well, thank you."

"You're welcome. Next time you pay, though."

"You're on." She smiled, fighting to keep her voice casual.

"Come on, Griff," Paige groaned. "She's only been in town for a day, let her settle in before you turn the charm on."

He grabbed a fry off Tess's plate. "I couldn't turn off this charm if I wanted to."

"You wouldn't be half as charming without the accent."

"Whoo!" He swiped the back of his hand over his forehead. "Thank God for the accent and all the silly American women who fall for it."

"Good thing I'm Arusian and not American," Tess said.

Paige laughed. "Oh man, I like you, Tess!"

Griff stood up straight and wagged his finger at her. "Don't you worry, pretty Tess from Arus, I will charm you too."

With his accent and the sing-songy way he said it, he made her name rhyme with the name of her home planet. And he was successfully charming her.

"I have a pair of twin brothers," she told him. "They are very handsome and very charming, too. I know all the tricks."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You think I'm handsome?"

"Not as handsome as you think you are, apparently."

Griff laughed. "Pretty and quick-witted. I may just end up marrying you."

"I thought you were married to this place." Paige tapped the bar with her finger.

His smile melted away until he wore an expression of resignation. "Too true. And she's a tough mistress."

"Thanks for the lunch, it was as good as ever, well, except for the tomato juice on the sandwich."

"Vegetables won't kill you."

"They might." Paige slid off her stool. "But I must get back to my store."

Tess stood and picked up her bags. "I'm going to head out too. Thanks again, for lunch."

Griff took their plates and set them in a bussing bin. "You're both very welcome. Tess, come see me again soon. Paige, feel free to patronize any of the other restaurants on the street."

Paige responded with a rude gesture.

"Thanks for everything," Tess said as they walked back to the bookstore. "I had fun."

"So did I, feel free to stop by any time, I mean it." Paige unlocked the door and flipped the sign back to 'Open'. "Oh, you never got to ask Griff your question about your Irish heritage."

Tess shrugged. "I guess he charmed me out of remembering that. Oh well, I have all summer."

"Look, Tess, I like you, I think we can be good friends. And I love Griff, I've known him for years. Just…" Paige hesitated before gently dropping her voice. "He's a flirt, he flirts with every girl he meets, but it never leads to anything serious."

Tess smiled, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. "Thanks for the advice, but I'm just here for a short time, I'm not looking for anyone. I'll see you later."

"Hey, Tess," Paige called out before she got too far.

"Yeah?"

"Your handsome, charming twin brothers?"

"One is married and the other has a serious girlfriend."

Paige sighed. "The good ones are always taken."


	4. Employed

Tess spent the next couple of days reading and wandering around. She found a few pretty spots where she could sit and write or sketch. One was in the woods behind her aunt and uncle's house where she sketched a fallen tree that had been overgrown. Another was on a bench by the river where she wrote in her journal and sketched the paddleboat that moved slowly down the water. She took plenty of pictures and organized them into online photo albums she shared with her family.

She was enjoying her solitude, but she was not a person who enjoyed a lot of alone time. She was too used to having brothers and sisters, her extended family, and even guards around. Tess needed people.

On her fourth day on Terra, Tess was sitting on the ground, her sketchbook in hand, recreating the image in front of her. An old fence had fallen, leaving just a few posts standing in random spots. The grass had grown high and one of the fence posts had a cluster of Queen Anne's lace growing around it. With a practiced hand, she had sketched the post and was now working on the flowers.

It was a beautiful, early summer day. Tess had her thick, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail as she bent over her sketch. Her chocolate brown eyes narrowed as she worked.

For a long time, when she was younger, Tess had wished she looked more like her sisters. Both Cady and Charlotte took more after their mother. They both had blonde hair and blue eyes. Tess's hair had been blonde when she was little, but it had darkened over time. Her eyes were just like her father's and she had his sharp features.

But over time she had grown comfortable in her own skin. She had grown up in the spotlight and had read both positive and negative things about her appearance, especially during her awkward teenage years. It never failed to amaze her how hurtful some people could be. She was more than just her appearance, more than just her title. It had made her more sensitive to how she treated people.

Tess set her pencil down and studied her sketch. She held it up in the sunlight, held it at arm's length, and then closer to her face. When she finally decided it was finished, she flipped the cover closed and set it on her lap.

She leaned back on her hands and tilted her face to the sun, closing her eyes. "I could get used to this," she muttered.

Her moment of quiet was interrupted by a loud growl. Glancing at her watch, Tess saw that it was almost 3:00 and she had forgotten to eat lunch.

She considered heading back to her aunt's house, but no one was there and Tess was in the mood for company. Since it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner, she thought it might be a good time to go to Flynn's and see if Griff had some time to talk to her about the Love Knot. She had poured over the books she had bought from Paige, but she still had no answers.

Aside from two elderly gentlemen sitting at a table in the corner playing chess and nursing beers, Flynn's was deserted.

"Is it too late to get something to eat?" Tess asked Kevin when she saw him.

"Nope, from 11:00am to midnight, the kitchen is open. Want a table?"

"That's okay, I'll sit at the bar." Tess looked around as she crossed the nearly empty restaurant, Griff was nowhere to be seen.

"Would you like a menu or do you just want to order a drink?" Jenna asked as she stood at the bar cutting lemons.

"I'd like a menu, please."

"Here you go, let me know when you're ready."

Tess studied the menu, trying to decide what she wanted when the door to the left of the bar slammed open, sounding like a gunshot in the quiet room.

Griff stood in the doorway, an angry look on his handsome face. "All right! Is there anyone in this feckin' bar that knows anything about feckin' computers?"

Jenna laughed. "Never should've let Mary take time off, huh, Boss?"

"Not in the mood, Jenna, I'm serious."

"Someone's Irish temper is showing," Jenna whispered.

"I, uh, I could take a look," Tess offered. "I know a few things about computers."

His irritation shifted as a smile bloomed beautifully across his face. "Ah, pretty Tess from Arus! My savior!"

She slid off her stool and followed him through the door. The office was cramped and cluttered, Tess was sure that the room had originally been a closet. The desk took up the entire right wall and held a large flat screen monitor. The rest of the desk was covered with papers and receipts.

"I need help." He admitted, closing the door behind them.

"I can tell."

"Mary, my head waitress does most of my computer work, computers and I don't get along well."

"Is she on vacation?"

"Maternity leave, she's off for eight weeks."

"Then I guess you can't just wait for her to come back?"

"No. I need to get the inventory entered and next week's schedule printed off."

"Okay, let's start with the inventory. Do you know where the file is?"

Griff pulled the desk chair out and gestured for her to have a seat. "Mary had a little, what's it called, picture thingy."

"An icon?" Tess asked as she sat down.

"Yeah, an icon on the desktop but I might have deleted it."

"You _might_ have?"

"Okay, I did."

"That shouldn't be a problem, that was most likely just a shortcut, the file is probably still there. Do you remember what it was called?"

"June Inventory."

Tess minimized the windows he had open and opened the search box. Within a matter of moments, she had the Excel file open and a new shortcut saved on the desktop.

"Oh, you are a genius!" Griff exclaimed, tugging on her ponytail.

"What else did you need done?"

"I need to print out the schedule, but the damn printer isn't responding."

Tess maximized the window with the schedule and tried printing. An error message popped up. "Where's the printer?"

"Behind you."

She spun around and saw the printer on small stand in the corner. It was turned on and ready to print. "It looks like you somehow severed the wireless connection between the computer and the printer."

"How?"

She shrugged. "Don't know. But I can reconnect it."

Five minutes later, Griff held two copies of the schedule. "I don't know how to thank you."

"No problem, glad to help." Tess sat back in the chair and looked at the desk. "How do you get any work done in this mess?"

"It's not a mess, it's my personal filing system."

Tess picked up a napkin with the name 'Lizzie' and a phone number scrawled on it.

He snatched it from her hand and tossed it in the trash. "I'm still organizing."

"Organizing all this would be a full-time job."

"Are you looking for a job?"

"Are you offering?"

"If you want to take over computer work while Mary is off, I'll pay you a fair wage for part-time work."

Tess looked from the pile of papers in front of her to him. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely."

"What do you consider a fair wage?" Tess's eyebrows rose at the number he quoted her. "For how many hours a week?"

"Whenever you can be here, just a couple hours for a couple days a week. I don't want to take away your vacation."

"I like keeping busy and I like a challenge."

He lifted an eyebrow and quirked the left corner of his mouth up into a flirtatious half smile. "Oh you do, do you?"

"It keeps life interesting."

Griff reached out and twirled the end of her ponytail around his finger. "And you'd get to spend more time with me."

"Well, then you're not offering enough money."

He chuckled. "We can negotiate over drinks. You are old enough to drink, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm 21."

"Can I buy you a beer?"

She laid a hand over her stomach. "Only if you add some food to that offer, I haven't eaten lunch and if I have a beer on an empty stomach I'll become very giggly."

"Oh yeah? I'd like to meet giggly Tess."

Tess pushed back from the desk, standing. "Maybe some other time. I think we were discussing food?"

"Come with me." He led her out of the office, past the bar and into the kitchen.

Two young men stood at the counter cutting onions and tomatoes while an older woman with grey streaked brown hair stirred a pot on the stove.

"Smells wonderful, Iona, what is it?" Griff asked, leaning over the woman's shoulder.

"Tonight's soup du jour, Manhattan clam chowder. Why are you in my kitchen?"

"Tess is hungry."

Iona looked over her shoulder and saw the young woman standing by the doorway. "And who is Tess?"

Griff gestured for her to come closer. "Iona, this is pretty Tess from Arus. She's visiting her aunt and uncle for the summer and she just agreed to fill in for Mary on the computer."

"I haven't agreed to anything yet," Tess corrected.

Griff ignored her. "Tess, this is Iona Easton, the best cook in Pennsylvania."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Iona. I've eaten here twice now and the food has been wonderful."

"Oh, I like you. Thank you, what did you have?"

"Shepherd's pie and a bleu burger."

"The shepherd's pie is my mother's recipe, God rest her soul. Always was popular. What are you hungry for now?"

Tess looked around the clean kitchen as they prepared for the dinner crowd. She hated the thought of being a bother. "Oh, whatever's easiest."

"It's a fully stocked kitchen, Tess," Griff told her. "You can have whatever you want."

"Tell you what," Iona said, wiping her hands on a towel. "You go have a seat and I'll whip up something good for you, all right?"

"Sounds good, thank you."

Griff held the door open for her. "Let's get that beer and we'll discuss your employment. I will need you to fill out some paperwork, gotta keep it all above board."

A few minutes later, Tess was sitting at a table, across from Griff, filling in paperwork, a lager at her elbow and pulled brisket sandwich in front of her.

"I can't thank you enough," Griff said, collecting the papers. "I have been losing sleep trying to figure out how I was going to get by without Mary's help."

"No problem, this'll be fun."

"Inventory and spreedsheets? Fun?"

"I can be a bit of a nerd." Tess took a bite of her sandwich. "Oh, wow, this is fantastic."

"Iona braises the meat in Guinness and slow cooks it until it's so tender it shreds itself."

Tess picked up her beer and took a sip. The bar napkin caught her eye as she set the glass back down. "Can I ask you a question, Griff?"

"Fire away." He took a fry off her plate and dipped it in ketchup before popping it in his mouth.

"This knot here, where did it come from?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is there a meaning behind it? I know a lot of Celtic knots have meanings."

Griff leaned forward, picking up the napkin and playing with it. "Not that I know of. It's just a doodle I used to draw. Uncle Flynn liked it and decided he wanted to use it for the bar."

"You made it up? You've never seen it anywhere else?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I just covered school notebooks and test papers with it."

"Do you draw a lot?"

"I'm not an artist, just a doodler."

"I don't know about that, this is very artistic."

"Do you know a lot about art?"

"I studied it in college and I dabble in some art myself."

"You do?"

Tess nodded.

"I'd like to see your work sometime."

"Maybe I'll let you."

Griff slid his hand over her's. "Do you have many hidden talents, pretty Tess from Arus?"

She did nothing to discourage his touch. "Is that what you're going to call me from now on?"

"It suits you." He gently rubbed the back of her thumb with his thumb.

Tess felt as though she should remove her hand from his, she thought about what Paige had told her about his flirting. "But it's quite a mouthful."

He continued moving his hand slowly. "But it's a pleasing mouthful."

Tess's response was lost when his hand encircled her wrist and his thumb brushed across her watchband over her birthmark. They both jumped as what felt like an electric shock jolted them both.

Griff dropped her wrist and looked at his hand.

Tess felt her entire arm tingle pleasantly.

"Must have been a hell of a static shock," Griff muttered, still staring at his hand.

Tess nodded. "I, uh, I think I should go."

"Tess…"

She shook her head. "No really, thank you. Uh, I guess I'll start tomorrow? What time?"

He studied her a moment, trying to read her. "How about 2:00? The lunch crowd is dying down then and we can go over what needs to be done."

"Okay. 2:00. See you then." Tess grabbed her bag from the stool she had earlier vacated and hurried out of the pub, hoping he didn't see her shaking hand.

* * *

Declan spent hours scouring the internet. He decided it was time to propose, but he needed the perfect ring. He knew that if he went to any of the jewelry stores in town he would be recognized and word would spread that he was looking at rings. He wanted this to be a surprise.

"Hey, Dec, you in there?" Gideon called as he knocked on his door.

"Yeah, come on in."

"What are you doing?"

"A little online shopping. What's up?"

Gideon fell across his brother's bed. "Lynnai and I have decided to put a bid in on the house on 4th Avenue."

"That's great, it's a really nice place."

"Yeah, we want to be all settled in before the baby comes."

"When are you going to tell everyone?"

"We're having her parents come up to the castle for dinner on Thursday. We want to tell them about the baby and putting a bid in."

"Wow, dropping both bombs at once."

"Yup."

Declan spun his chair around. "It's going to be weird, you know, not living in the same place anymore."

"I'll be up here every day for training and I have a feeling you'll be at the house so often it'll never feel like we're not living together."

"I know. Gid?"

"What?"

"Where did you get Lynnai's ring?"

Gideon sat up. "Her engagement ring?"

"Yeah, didn't you order it online?"

"I ordered it from Bronner's in Alforia, I did it all online so I could do it as anonymously. I liked that I could design it on the site."

"I thought about doing that, but I don't think I know enough about jewelry to design something."

"No, but you know enough about Brina to know what she'd like."

"I like to think so."

Gideon watched as his brother turned back to his computer and called up the jewelry store's website. "Dec?"

"Hm?"

"I've been thinking about you."

"What?"

"I've been thinking about what you said, about being antsy and not knowing what you want. I think I know what your problem is."

Declan spun his chair back around to face his brother. "Please, tell me."

"You're a worrier and you can't help it. Your second sight allows you to see what could happen to those you're closest to and it had made you overprotective, which is not a criticism. I just…well, I think you're worrying too much about others and not thinking enough about yourself. Now that things are safer, you really have nothing to worry about with the girls and what you've seen coming for me and Lynnai and Sky and Erik are good things. Not having things to worry about is leaving you feeling less…useful, I guess is the word that comes to mind."

Declan looked down at the tip of his sneaker, running it over the beige carpet.

"Declan," Gideon said gently. "Your gift doesn't define you. Just because we are all safe doesn't mean you aren't important."


	5. Organized

The next day at 1:57 pm, Tess stood in front of Flynn's. She had finally calmed her nerves, having given herself a pep talk as she walked to the bar. It hadn't helped that the night before she hadn't slept well as thoughts of Griff invaded her dreams.

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, Tess grabbed the handle and swung the door open.

There were a few more people in the bar today. The two old men were still playing chess and nursing their beer at the table in the corner, as they had been the day before. A pair of well dressed women sat at another table with glasses of white wine and sharing a plate of bruschetta, the bags that told the story of their successful shopping trip surrounded their feet. Jenna stood by a table, talking to an older gentleman to whom she had just delivered a sandwich.

"Hey, Tess, right?"

Tess turned to see Kevin, the waiter, talking to her. "Yes. Kevin?"

"Yup. Griff is back in his office. So, you're working here now?"

"I'm helping out, he seemed a little…overwhelmed with his computer."

Kevin smiled. "Yeah. I don't know how a guy reaches the age of 27 in this day and age and doesn't know how to work a computer."

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses," she said, kindly.

"How long are you going to be in town?"

"Just for the summer."

"Well, if you're interested, we have live music here Friday and Saturday nights, I'm usually here with some friends, if you'd like to join us."

Tess took another look at Kevin. He appeared to be her age and was nice looking guy, but, well, he wasn't Griff. "Thank you. Paige had mentioned the music, maybe we'll come and check it out."

He grinned. "Great, I'll be looking for you."

"Don't you have work to be doing?"

They both looked up and saw Griff standing beside the bar.

Kevin nodded. "Yes, sir."

Griff stepped closer to Tess when Kevin left. "You're late."

She checked her watch, it was 2:02. "Well, actually, I got here before 2:00, but I was speaking with Kevin."

"Kevin can be a bit of a flirt."

"I've heard the same thing about you."

A muscle in his jaw jumped as he clenched his teeth. "Ready to get to work?"

"Lead the way."

"Hey Tess!" Jenna greeted her as she rolled silverware in napkins.

"Hey, Jenna, how's it going?"

"Much better now that you're here to take over the computer work and Griff can stop being so grumpy."

"I'll show you grumpy if this place isn't ready for the early dinner crowd," Griff threatened.

The first thing Tess noticed when she entered the office was how clean the desk was. "Wow, where did everything go?"

He picked a banker's box up off the floor and set it on the desk. "I did some sorting. I sorted receipts, liquor inventory requests, food inventory requests, and vacation requests into different folders. That's as far as I got, I know they can be organized even more."

"When did you find time to do this?"

"I, uh, I had trouble sleeping last night."

Tess looked up from the folder she had pulled from the box and met his eyes. His gaze was intense and unnerved her. "I guess that explains why you're so grumpy today."

"I'm not grumpy."

"Mm hm. Tell you what, I'm going to start sorting through the paperwork. What is Mary's system?"

"Mary's system?"

"She had to have some system to keep everything straight."

"Uh, well, she just helped me with data entry, this is all my system."

She smiled at him. "Your system is crap."

"It has worked so far."

"You've made it work. I'll make it work better."

Griff rubbed his chin. He hadn't taken the time to shave that morning and auburn stubble covered his chin. "All right. But remember that this bar is my baby."

"I'm here to help."

"Do you have any business experience?"

Tess raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you have asked me that before offering me a job?"

"Yeah, I probably should have."

"Are you starting to regret hiring me?"

"I didn't say that."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know." He ran his hand through his hair. "Just…just don't throw anything away until I've seen it."

"I won't."

He left her alone, closing the door behind him.

Tess took the folders out of the box and set them on the desk in front of her. She sat back in the chair and rubbed her hands over her face. "What have I gotten myself in to?"

Nearly two hours later, a freshly shaven Griff reentered the office dressed in a dark blue suit.

Tess's mind was momentarily wiped blank when she saw him. She knew the old saying about a man in uniform, but as far as she was concerned, the same could be said for a man in a suit.

"How's it going?" He asked.

"It's uh, it's going great. Um, I have the receipts organized by month and day. The inventory requests are organized by when they were requested, what was ordered, what is on back order, and when it's expected in. I'm almost done with the vacations. I'm coming up with a schedule for you to check out, I don't know what you have worked out with your people, but basing it off old schedules, it seems fair."

"Wow. Okay. I wasn't expecting all this. Are you some kind of genius or something?"

"Or something. You have a big date or something?"

"Or something. Why?"

Tess gestured to the suit he was wearing. "You clean up rather nicely."

"Why thank you." Griff straightened the knot in his tie. "I have a dinner meeting with the bank manager. I'm in discussion with the owners of the old house behind this place, I'm hoping to turn it into a brewpub."

"Do you brew your own beer?"

"I do. In small batches for now, I do tastings from time to time to get a feel for what people like. Kevin helps me out, he's really interested in brewing. While this place is a more traditional pub selling traditional drinks and food, the brewpub will sell my beer and artisanal foods."

"That sounds wonderful."

"Thanks, I'm very excited and very nervous about doing this. And you getting me organized will be a big help."

"I'm glad I could help."

He took a step closer. "I want to apologize if I was grumpy earlier."

"You're entitled. You were sleepy."

Griff smirked. "What are your plans tomorrow night?"

"Plans? I, uh, I don't have any." Tess felt a flight of butterflies swarm her stomach.

"I'd like to take you out."

"Oh."

"Oh? Is that yes or a no?"

"It's just an 'oh'. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I'd like to get you out of this bar and some place where we can share a good meal and chat without troublemaking friends or disrespectful employees interrupting us."

"I…I think I'd like that."

He grinned at her. "Great! Seven?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I'll pick you up at your aunt's house."

"Sounds good."

He looked around the office. "Feel free to leave whenever you feel like you've come to a good stopping point."

"Okay, when, uh, when do you want me to come back?"

He shrugged. "Whenever you'd like."

"Okay, I'll probably put in another couple of hours tomorrow."

He winked at her. "See you then."

"Griff."

He stopped, his hand on the doorknob and looked over his shoulder.

"Good luck. With your meeting."

"Thanks, pretty Tess from Arus." He slipped out of the office, pulling the door closed behind him.

Feeling completely overwhelmed and excited, Tess fell back in the desk chair and let out a quiet squeal. She suddenly felt the need to talk to Cady. She wanted her sister to help her pick out what to wear and to talk about how cute Griff was. But it was too late to call her now.

_Paige._

Tess quickly finished sorting the vacation requests and returned all the new folders into the banker's box before hurrying out of the pub.

The bell jangled cheerfully as Tess entered the bookstore. An older woman, obviously Paige's mother, sat behind the desk ringing out a customer. Another half dozen people milled through the bookshelves.

"Can I help you?" Mrs. Turner asked when she finished with her customer.

"Is Paige here?"

"She's in the back room, she should be up in a few minutes."

"Thanks." Tess wandered over to the display of current top sellers.

"Ma, I'm heading out for the night. Mr. Kimball's special order is in the first cabinet, he said he'd be in this evening ." Paige walked right past Tess on her way to the front.

"Thanks, dear, I'll be watching for him. There is someone here looking for you."

"Who?"

"I am." Tess walked over to the counter.

"Tess! How are you? Settling in all right? Ma, this is Dana and Harry's niece who is visiting for the summer." Paige spoke excitedly.

"Tess, it's so nice to meet you."

"And you, Mrs. Turner. I just love your store."

"Thank you, dear."

"Looking for more books on Irish history?" Paige asked.

"Uh , no, thank you, though. Are you heading somewhere?"

"Just home to relax, nothing too exciting. Why? Do you have something more exciting to do?"

"Can we go somewhere and talk?"

"Flynn's?"

"No."

Paige looked at her questioningly. "Okay. We can go down to the café. I could eat something."

"Yeah, let's do that. It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Turner."

"You too, dear, please feel free to stop in and see us again soon."

"So, what's up?" Paige asked as they stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"I got a job."

"You got a job? You're on vacation."

"I know. It all happened so quickly and all of a sudden I find myself working for Griffin McManus."

"What?" Paige gasped.

"I'm kind of a part-time office manager. I stopped in yesterday for a quick bite when he came charging out of his office asking for computer help. I offered to help and the next thing I know, he's offering me a job and I'm accepting."

"But…but you're on vacation."

"It all happened very quickly."

"Yeah, Griff can be pretty slick like that."

"That's not all."

"What else?"

Tess stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked around, almost afraid a reporter would jump out with a recorder. "He asked me out."

"Who?"

"Griff."

Paige's eyes doubled in size. "No."

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

"He asked me if I was free tomorrow evening, I thought he was going to ask me to come in and work, so I told him I was free. He told me he'd like to take me out, somewhere where friends and employees wouldn't interrupt us."

A slow smile spread across Paige's face. "Oh my god! I can't believe this! I thought he was seeing some teacher from the high school."

"A teacher?"

"Oh, no, he's too nice a guy to date two women at once, I'm sure they broke up. What are you going to wear?"

"I don't know."

"Did you pack for a date?"

"Not really, I mean, I didn't come here looking to date someone. I have a couple of skirts and a dress, but…"

"Come on, we'll eat later." Paige turned and led Tess in the opposite direction. "We could go to the mall, but you don't strike me as someone who shops at a mall."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, no, that wasn't meant to be mean or anything. Tess, you're beautiful, you have an amazing figure, and you carry yourself…well, almost regally. You can do better than department store clothing."

Tess felt a stone fall in her stomach. "Regally?"

Paige rolled her eyes. "I know, I can be rather dramatic and romantic, my mother always said that I've read too much and I've blurred the line between reality and fiction. This boutique just opened a few months ago and I've had no excuse to go in here and look around. Unfortunately, no hot Irish guys are asking me out."

Tess smiled as she followed her friend into the brightly lit little shop. "I do like shopping."

"Good, because I like spending other people's money."

"Good evening, ladies, how can I help you?" A middle aged woman sat behind a white desk.

"My friend here has a hot date tomorrow night and needs something scandalous to wear."

"It's a first date, so maybe something classy," Tess spoke up. "I'll save scandalous for date number three."

"Spoilsport," Paige muttered.

The woman stood and walked over to Tess. "You have lovely coloring and a very nice figure. Yellow would suit you well."

"You sound like my mother, she likes the color yellow, but it doesn't suit her and she's jealous I can wear it."

"Mm hm. I think I have a few ideas for you to try. Follow me. What size are you?" The saleswoman led them to the back where there was a rack of pretty sundresses in varying shades. She pulled a dress the color of butter off the rack. "Try this first."

Tess followed her back to the dressing room. "Thank you." As soon as she shut the door behind her, there was a knock. "Yes?"

A blue dress was flung over the top of the door, followed by Paige's voice. "I love the cut of this dress, they have it on a mannequin and it looks great. Try it."

The yellow dress had a cinched waist and a full skirt that fell to her knees. The bodice was embroidered with patterns in the same shade of yellow as the fabric. It was feminine and pretty, but not quite her.

"Let's see!" Paige called out.

Tess opened the door.

Paige shook her head. "Not right. Try the blue."

Between the saleswoman and Paige, Tess was given almost a dozen dresses to try on. In the end, she fell in love with a sleeveless, navy blue dress. The fabric was lace patterned, the bodice fitted, and the skirt full, falling to just above the knee.

"It's perfect," Paige sighed. "If I had your arms, I would never wear sleeves again."

The saleswoman agreed. "That dress was made for you. How are you set for shoes?"

"I don't think I have any that go with this," Tess admitted.

"Oh! I know just the thing!" She whirled around and hurried to the front of the store.

"You're going to leave Griff completely speechless in this dress," Paige said.

Tess turned right and then left in front of the mirror. "Good."

"Here, try these." The saleswoman handed her a pair of mustard colored pumps. "A splash of color to go with the dress, add a touch of fun."

"Perfect!" Paige said. "I never would've thought of yellow, I probably would've gone with black or navy blue."

"You can't be afraid of a little color. We also have a matching purse. Oh! And a great statement necklace as well!"

When the outfit was completed, Tess knew it was perfect. It had been a long time since she had been this excited about a date. The last few dates she had gone on had been arranged and none of them had gone on to a second date. "I'll take it all," she declared.

"Wonderful! Get changed and I'll ring it all up for you."

"You just made her evening," Paige said twenty minutes later as they left the store.

"She made mine! I love this outfit!"

"Still want to go grab some dinner?"

"Sure. I'm too excited to go home right now."

"You'll call me after the date, won't you? I want details."

Tess smiled. "Of course, I have a feeling I'll want to talk."

Paige led her into a frilly little café. "And I'll want to listen."

"Can I ask you something personal, Paige?"

"Sure."

"Did you ever want to go out with Griff?"

"Me? No."

Tess slid into a booth across from her friend. "Why?"

Paige shrugged. "Griff was always just a friend. I love him to pieces, but not in that way. I was only sixteen when he came to town, too young for him."

"Kevin invited me to come and join him and his friends for the live music this weekend."

"Oh, Kevin?"

Her overly casual tone raised a red flag for Tess. "I told him you and I might be in some weekend."

Paige lifted her eyes from the menu. "Sounds like fun. We should."

"Have you known Kevin long?"

"Our whole lives."

"Why don't we go Friday night? Saturday, Aunt Dana and I are going shopping, so I don't know when I'll be home."

"Yeah, sure, let's do that. The music starts at 10:00, we can meet at the bookstore around 9:30."

* * *

Declan made his way around the lake and up to the path through the woods. Brina had taken her younger sister shopping. Gideon and Lynnai had told their parents over the dinner table the night before about the baby and the house. They had found out that morning that their bid had been accepted and they were meeting the real estate agent at the house with both sets of parents so they could take them on a tour. It was a beautiful evening and Declan had figured a walk would help.

He couldn't get what Gideon had said to him out of his mind.

"_Your gift doesn't define you."_

Gideon's gift gave him the ability to empathize with those he's close to at a level that other's could never understand, he was able to get into Declan's mind and understand him better than he could understand himself. He had been thinking a lot about what his brother had said to him.

They had spoken to Tess the day before and she was safe and sound. She was having a great time and making friends. Declan could see no reason to worry about her, and yet he couldn't stop. He was looking for things to worry about.

If Gideon knew how to handle his, and other's, feelings, Declan didn't. It had almost cost him his relationship with Brina and it often left him moody and lashing out. He had to figure out what to do with himself and the existential crisis he seemed to be having. It made him feel selfish and petty, like he was dragging too many people into his problems which really bothered him since he was the one who was usually trying to help others with their problems.

Declan stopped in his tracks at that thought. He had always depended on his gift to give him insight as to what was happening to those closest to him so he had something to think about other than himself, it was just easier that way. Maybe it is time for him to think about himself.

"_Your gift doesn't define you."_

"What does define me?" He asked the tree beside him.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The most important things in his life were his relationship with Brina, his family, leading the Voltron Force, and the safety of his plant and its people. That is what he wants to do with his life. If he is going to get out of this rut, he needed to concentrate on what is important and decide where he wanted to take his life.

He knew what the most important thing in the world was to him and it was time to think about himself and what he wants. And he knew what he wanted.


	6. Bewitching

Tess couldn't remember the last time she had been this excited about a date. The arranged dates she had had to go on were something she dreaded, one of the guys had been 15 years older than her. Her father was not at all happy about that one, but her mother explained that there was no obligation, it was a courtesy, honoring a request from a neighboring planet. But tonight, a cute guy was taking her out because he was interested in her, not her title or her connections to Voltron.

Tess slipped her feet into the yellow pumps and stood up, running her hand over her stomach, trying to soothe her nerves. She really wanted things to go well tonight.

"Tess?" Dana knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Oh, Tess, you look terrific!" Her aunt gasped. "That dress is just beautiful."

"Thanks." She twisted her hands together nervously.

"Sweetheart, do you think this is a good idea?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I adore Griff, really, I do. But should you be getting involved with someone when you're only staying for a few months?"

Tess had thought about that, briefly, before pushing that thought aside. "Um, yeah, I had thought of that. This is just an evening out with a friend, let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Dana looked her up and down. "That's how you dress for an evening out with a friend?"

"This is how princesses dress for an evening out with a friend," Tess said jokingly.

"And what does Griff think about spending an evening with a princess?"

"He, uh, he might not know."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been enjoying just being Tess, not Princess Tess."

Her aunt sighed. "Just…just be careful, Tess."

She thought her aunt's warning was a little melodramatic, but before she could respond, the doorbell rang.

"Tess!" Harry called up the stairs. "Griff is here."

"Have fun," Dana said.

"Thanks."

Griff stood on the front porch dressed in a pair of black slacks, light blue shirt and a black sports coat. Tess grinned when she saw him as his mouth fell open, it was just the reaction she had hoped for.

"You look amazing," he told her.

"Thank you."

"I feel a little underdressed, like I should go rent a tux."

She laughed. "I'm a little disappointed that you didn't."

He took her hand. "Maybe next time."

"Where are we going?" She asked as he led her down the front path to the silver car parked at the curb.

"I'm hoping you like Italian," he said, holding the passenger door open for her. "I'm taking you to my favorite restaurant, Lucia's Bistro."

"How did your meeting go?" She asked after he settled in next to her.

"Great. I got the loan, if they accept my offer on the house and the inspection goes well, we'll close in a couple of weeks."

"That's incredible, really it is. You have achieved so much in such a short amount of time."

Griff shook his head. "It wasn't me, it was my Uncle Flynn."

"What do you mean?"

"The pub was always his idea, I remember him telling me about it when I was a kid."

"Why did he open it here?"

He grinned at her and winked. "It's an old story, he followed a woman to America."

"Oh, really?"

"Yup. He followed her to Philly, but it didn't work out. He found Houten and saw the potential. "

"And you followed him."

"Mm hm."

"What about your family?"

Griff glided to a stop at a red light and glanced at her. "My father took off not long after I was born, so it was just my Ma and me, Flynn was her older brother. My mother passed away seven years ago."

"Oh, Griff, I'm so sorry." Tess couldn't imagine not having her mother in her life.

He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Thanks. It was breast cancer and she suffered, she's in a better place now." He dropped her hand so he could shift when the light turned green. "Anyway, I finished school and Flynn told me he found where he wanted to open his dream pub and he offered to fly me over. He got me a job as a bartender where I worked for two years learning the tools of the trade. I quit about six months before Flynn was set to open so I could work full-time helping him prepare."

"What happened?" Tess asked quietly.

"A massive coronary. He was healthy, or we all thought he was, this came as a shock to all of us. For a couple of weeks, I was at a loss, but I had been working so hard with him to bring the pub to fruition, I decided the best thing I could do to honor him would be to continue his work."

"How old were you?"

"24."

"And you were able to just take over with the vendors and the bank?"

"I had a little help. Iona has over 32 years of experience in the restaurant business and she co-signed everything with me."

"That's so nice of her."

"She believed in the pub. She and Flynn were…close."

"Oh."

"Yup." Griff turned into the parking lot of a small restaurant set back from the street and partially hidden by trees. "She wasn't the woman he followed to the States, but she was the reason he stayed."

"And the pub has been successful?"

"We weren't expecting to turn a profit for two years, we did it in a year and a half. I was able to hire two more servers this year."

"That's wonderful," she said as she opened her door. "It is a great restaurant."

"Thanks, I'm pretty proud of it. Obviously, Flynn was going to be the business manager, I just kind of fell into that job, which is why I need you."

"Speaking of which," she said as he held the door to the restaurant open for her. "Thank you. I have some ideas I came up with this afternoon for better organization of the liquor inventory."

"No. We're not going to talk work tonight. And you've only worked for me for two days, slow down." He approached the hostess. "McManus."

"Of course, follow me." The hostess took two menus from beneath her station.

The restaurant was small and intimate. Their table was covered with a crisp white tablecloth and a small candle flickered in the center next to a bud vase holding a single red rose.

"Your waitress will be with you momentarily," the hostess said as she handed them their menus. "Enjoy."

"This place is lovely," Tess whispered when they were alone. "What do you recommend?"

"I don't think you can go wrong with anything here. The lasagna, manicotti, and the chicken saltimbocca are all wonderful. But I like to try something new every time I come."

"Oh, do you come often?"

"Well, if you listen to the town gossip, I date a different woman every night, so I probably come here three times a week."

"Griff, that's not what I meant."

"Running your own business doesn't leave you a lot of time for dating. Do you have a wine preference?"

"I'll let the pub owner pick the wine."

"Good evening, my name is Nina and I'll be your waitress tonight." A young woman appeared at their table, setting a basket of warm bread down before listing that evening's specials. "Can I get you a drink while you look at the menu?"

"We'll take a bottle of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano."

"Very good," Nina said as she made a note on her pad. "I'll be right back with your wine."

Griff looked up at Tess and saw her grinning at him. "What?"

"There is just something very charming about Italian words said with an Irish accent."

He laughed. "I knew I would eventually charm you. And I knew it would be the accent."

Tess found herself glancing over the top of her menu at him and thinking about what her aunt had said. If she was completely honest, she would admit that she was falling for him, fast.

Nina arrived and set wine glasses in front of them. She poured a small amount of wine in Griff's glass and waited for him to taste and approve the selection before pouring Tess's drink. She took their meal orders and slipped away.

"So, tell me about the brewpub," Tess said, taking a sip of her wine.

"This was just an idea Flynn and I had tossed around a bit, brewing had become a hobby of mine. Some mates and I dabbled in it in school and came up with some real crap. Luckily, I've practiced and gotten better."

"I'd hope so. Tell me about the house."

"Oh, it's just too perfect to be true. It went on the market last month and I sprang into action. It is huge and old, it has a lot of good bones, which is important, we'll begin demolition as soon as we close."

"What demolition are you planning?"

"Nothing on the outside, there is a huge porch where I am going to set up outdoor seating. But inside, there is a lot of work to be done."

Tess unconsciously leaned closer. "Like what?"

"Uh, well." Griff looked around before reaching inside his jacket. He pulled out an envelope and a pen. Setting the envelope on the table, he started sketching as he explained. "The kitchen is not big enough. We're going to be knocking down the wall and extend it into the dining room and bringing in professional grade equipment. Which leaves the front parlor, living room, and the study, where we'll be setting up tables, I want to keep the charm and the built-ins. The walls of the study are lined with bookshelves, I'm going to keep those. We should be able to seat between 75 and 85 people. The best part of the house is the huge basement, I'm going to set up the brewing down there. Upstairs I am turning the master suite into an office so I can move out of the storage closet in the pub."

"How long until you can open?"

"Oh, we have a lot of work ahead of us. I'm thinking next summer at the earliest, more likely in the fall. I'm hoping to have the brewing equipment set up by this fall. I want to brew and sell my beer at Flynn's for a while before the brewpub opens."

Tess watched as he absentmindedly doodled Love Knots all around his rough sketch of the house's blueprints. He seemed to do it unconsciously, the pen moving smoothly, swirling and twisting ink into a perfect knot. She felt a funny tingling in the pit of her stomach and she unconsciously brushed the index finger of her right hand over the watchband on her left wrist.

As though he suddenly became aware of what he was doing, Griff stopped drawing and stuffed the envelope back in his jacket. "Sorry about that. Like I said, it's something I doodle. But no work talk, tonight." He took the bottle of wine and poured a little more in her glass. "Tell me something about pretty Tess from Arus that I don't know."

"Oh, uh, okay." Tess took a drink as she tried to decide what to do. It didn't feel like the right time to tell him she was a princess, the daughter of a powerful, famous couple. "Did you know I am the middle child of six children?"

A look of surprise crossed his face. "No, I did not know that, you had mentioned twin brothers. I can't even imagine having five brothers and sisters. What's the breakdown?"

"Three brothers, two sisters. Now, tell me something I don't know about Griffin McManus."

"I play the piano. What are your brothers and sisters named?"

"The oldest is Cady, then the twins, Declan and Gideon, then me, then Charlotte and Nick. Where did the name Griffin come from?"

"My mother's maiden name. What about Tess? Family name?"

"No, just a name my parents liked. What did you study in school?"

He grinned and took a sip of his wine.

"What?" She asked.

"Literature."

"You studied literature?"

"Mm hm."

"How's that helping with the running of a pub?"

"Seems to be working out all right. If my mother had had her way, I would have gone to the seminary."

"I'm not going to lie, I'm glad she didn't get her way."

Griff laughed. "Oh, pretty Tess from Arus, there is something positively bewitching about you."

"Bewitching? That might be the best compliment I've ever received."

He reached across the table and laid his hand over hers. "It's the only word I can think of to properly describe the effect you've had on me. I can't seem to get you out of my mind."

Tess laced her fingers through his. "Really?"

"Really."

"Chicken saltimbocca?"

Tess looked up. For a moment, she forgot they weren't alone. "Oh, uh, thanks."

Griff thanked the waitress when she set his steak pizzaiola in front of him.

They spent the next hour enjoying their meal and talking about whatever came to mind, from books to movies to music, everything except work. By the time Nina came back to see if they wanted dessert, Tess knew without a doubt she was completely in love with him.

"The tiramisu here is amazing," Griff said.

"Oh, I don't think I could eat any more."

"Want to split one?"

"Okay, sure."

"We'll take one tiramisu and two forks," he told the waitress.

"All right, I'll be right back with that."

"What are your plans this weekend?" Griff asked when they were alone.

"Tomorrow night Paige and I are going to Flynn's for the live music."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I'll put your name on the list, then."

"The list?"

"You won't have to pay the cover charge."

"Do you get a big turnout?"

"Fridays and Saturdays, especially in the summer, are very busy. Tomorrow night The Oblivious are playing, they're local and they're very popular, so you guys might want to get there early if you want a table."

Nina moved the candle aside and set the dessert between them. "Enjoy."

"Just know that I'm not ignoring you, I'll be behind the bar and busy."

Tess shook her head. "You don't have to entertain me."

"I know, but I'd like to see you."

"Will you be busy all day?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I want to go over the new inventory ideas I have."

"Save it for Monday, we'll make it through the weekend with the old system. Try the tiramisu." He cut into it with his fork and offered it to her.

Tess allowed him to feed her. Her eyes rolled back in her head as soon as it hit her taste buds.

"I know, right?" Griff chuckled.

Tess slid her fork into the dessert and scooped up a bite. She started to return the favor and feed him the tiramisu, but as soon as the fork brushed his lips she pulled her arm back and ate it herself instead. "Sorry, too good to share."

"That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair. Deal with it."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Griff pulled up in front of Tess' aunt and uncle's house.

"I had a really good time tonight," she told him as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome. I had a great time too. Would you like to do it again sometime?"

"Yes, I would."

He reached up and gently touched her cheek with his fingertips. "Don't worry about working again until Monday."

Tess nodded, unable to find her voice as he touched her.

"I'll look for you tomorrow night," he whispered as he leaned closer. "But I can't promise I'll be able to talk to you until 2 am."

"I know."

Griff stopped just a breath away from her lips. "I'd like to kiss you."

Tess swallowed hard. "I'd like you to."

It was a sweet, gentle kiss full of promise and more than a little bit of longing.

He pulled back slightly and rested his forehead against hers, not saying a word until she opened her eyes. "I'll find a way to talk to you before 2am."

She smiled. "Until tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow."

He sat in his car and waited until she had gone inside the house and turned off the porch light. Tess turned and leaned against the closed door. She was in trouble and she didn't know what to do about. Slipping her shoes off, she started up the stairs. The best thing to do right now was call Paige.


	7. Being Bold

Tess spent Friday trying to relax. She did a little writing and worked on a new sketch. But it was impossible for her to not think about what had happened the night before. Her life had changed. There was no way she could just return to Arus and pretend nothing had happened. She had no doubt in her mind that she was meant to take this trip to Terra, she was meant to meet Griff, she was meant to be with him.

After sharing dinner with her aunt and uncle, Tess went up to the room she was staying in and dug through the clothing she had brought with her. It was going to be a warm evening, combining that with being in a crowded bar and alcohol flowing, she figured she had to dress light. After trying on several different outfits, she settled on a pair of short khaki shorts, a sleeveless black blouse, and a pair of strappy black sandals. Using a jeweled barrette, she pulled her hair back on both sides before sitting in front of the mirror with her make-up.

Paige was standing in the front of the bookstore waiting for Tess. The line to get into Flynn's stretched in front of the bookstore.

"Now that you and Griff are dating, I expect all my food and drinks to be free." Paige greeted her as they joined the line.

Tess glared at her friend. "Everything I told you last night was in the strictest of confidence."

"I know, I know, I was just teasing you. Geez."

"Sorry, I know. I'm just." Tess looked up and down the street, still unable to shake the feeling that someone was about to snap her picture. "I really like him, I don't want to screw this up."

"Well, I think you're showing enough leg to get him to comp everything tonight."

"He told me he'd be so busy he probably won't even be able to talk to me."

"Yeah, they're going to be packed. We should've gone in sooner."

"Oh, it'll be fun. I've never seen a band play at a bar."

"Do you not have bars on Arus?"

"Yeah, but I just turned 21 last November and I've just been busy."

"It'll be loud, hot, and crowded. But it'll be fun."

They reached the door where there were two large men. One was collecting money for the cover charge and the other held a clipboard and was checking IDs.

Feeling a little foolish, Tess leaned toward the guy with the clipboard. "I'm, uh, I'm Tess Whitaker, I should be on the list."

Without even looking at it, the guy waved her in.

"Is Paige Turner on the list?" Paige asked.

The guy looked down at his clipboard. "Are you with Tess?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, it says Tess and friend. I guess that's you."

Paige narrowed her eyes and looked at Tess. "Griff did that to get under my skin."

Tess laughed. "And it's working."

Kevin was standing just inside the door with another guy waiting for them. "Tess, Paige, you made it! This is Bill. Bill, Tess and Paige. Come on, if you guys want a drink before the show starts, we have to head to the bar now."

Tess hadn't noticed the small stage before, it had previously held three tables, which had been moved and replaced with a drum kit, a couple of guitar stands and amps, and three microphone stands. Several other tables had been pushed back to make room in front of the stage for people to stand. Tess spotted Griff and two other bartenders filling orders as people stood four deep at the bar. The noise level was almost deafening as music played from the juke box and people yelled over it to hear each other.

"What are you having?" Kevin shouted to Tess and Paige.

"Lager!" Paige shouted back.

Tess studied the taps for a moment. "Pale Ale!"

"Stay here by the pillar, we'll get the drinks and meet you back there!"

"This is crazy!" Tess shouted to Paige as more people crowded in.

"This is nothing! Just wait until the band starts!"

Tess looked around, seeing all the girls in various states of dress and the guys checking them out. She hadn't been allowed to attend events like this on Arus, well, that's not entirely true. She could have gone, but she would have had to take a couple of guards to stand over her the entire time. But here, she was with friends, blending in with the crowd. It felt wonderful and so freeing.

"Hey, beautiful!"

Tess jumped when she heard Griff's voice in her ear. She looked over her shoulder to see him holding her and Paige's beers. "Hey! I thought you were busy!"

He handed them their drinks. "I am! I have to introduce the band. Stay here if you can, it's a good spot to see the show!"

"We will!"

He gently, quickly brushed his fingers over her cheek before leaning in close. "Will you stay until the end of the show?"

Tess nodded.

"Good!"

With that, he was swallowed into the crowd only to appear seconds later on the stage in front of the center microphone. The music from the juke box was cutoff and the absence was sudden and odd.

"Good evening, Houten!" Griff shouted.

The crowd cheered back.

"I said, good evening Houten!"

They cheered even louder, Tess and Paige lifting their drinks in the air and shouting along with the rest. Kevin and Bill appeared behind them, adding their voices to the noise.

"There you are! Welcome to Flynn's!"

He was cut off by more loud cheering.

"We're very happy to present an incredible group that hails from nearby Mossburg. The one! The only! The Oblivious!"

Tess swore she felt the foundation of the bar shake as the crowd erupted into even louder cheers and screams. The band members walked out of the storage room to the right of the bar and through the crowd to the stage, slapping high-fives and accepting hugs from their female fans.

The band played for over three hours, wrapping up their set just after 1:00. Tess and Paige were both on their fourth beers and feeling pretty good.

The crowd thinned out, but there were still several people who wanted to hang out with the band. Tess and Paige pushed their way up to the bar, wishing for the impossible: a pair of empty stools.

"I love these sandals," Tess told Paige. "But they were not made to stand and dance in for three hours."

"Maybe Griff will rub your feet."

"If he did, I'd marry him tonight."

"Did you like the show?" Kevin asked.

"It was so much fun!" Tess told him. "You guys do this every weekend?"

"Yup. But it's always the craziest when The Oblivious play, they're the most popular group in the area. Tomorrow night, Griff has these two older guys come in and play Irish music. It's a smaller, older crowd, Very different from tonight."

The storage room door opened and the band members came out again, heading to the bar this time. The crowd surrounding the bar shifted to that end, surrounding the musicians.

"Hurry!" Paige grabbed Tess's arm and dragged her to the opposite end of the bar where two stools opened up.

Tess sighed with relief as she got off her feet and set her beer in front of her. Paige sat beside her and made a similar sound.

Down at the other end of the bar, Griff, a male bartender, and a female bartender moved quickly to fill orders. Tess was impressed watching them move fluidly, mixing drinks, pouring beers, and passing glasses to customers.

Griff had a constant smile on his face and an easy manner. He was made for this. He loved interacting with his customers and she loved watching him. Tess narrowed her eyes and glared at a woman in a low-cut blouse who leaned a little too far over the bar toward Griff, but he took an easy step back and sidestepped her advances.

As if he sensed her watching him, Griff looked up and caught her eye, winking. Tess winked back.

"Look at the two of you, all flirting and making me want to gag," Paige teased.

"He's so cute," Tess sighed, the alcohol loosening her up.

"You're not the only one who thinks that," Paige said, indicating the woman in the low-cut blouse who was unsuccessfully flirting with him.

"I am trained in basic hand-to-hand and self defense," Tess growled. "I will kick her ass."

"Whoa!" Paige laughed. "Where did that come from? "

Tess watched as Griff moved down the bar, away from the woman and letting his female bartender tend to her. A guy she recognized as the guitarist from the band waved Griff over, he said something and pointed toward her and Paige. Griff followed the direction of his finger and looked back at the man, shaking his head. The guitarist looked annoyed and said something to Griff, who shook his head again.

"What is going on?" Paige asked, watching with as much interest as Tess was.

"It looks to me," Kevin said, leaning between the two of them. "That Jeff wants to buy either Tess or you a drink and Griff won't let him."

"Uh oh, looks like Slutty McBigBoobs gave Maggie the slip and is going after Griff again." Paige said as the woman in the low-cut blouse had moved around to the other end of the bar, closer to Griff.

"Oh that is it," Tess said, sliding off the stool. "She's going down!"

Paige laughed and grabbed her friend's arm. "No she's not. You're drunk!"

"I am not!"

"Yeah, you are."

Tess took her beer and drank the last of it, slamming the glass on the bar. "Okay, maybe a little."

Griff stepped back from the woman flirting with him and rang the bell that hung behind the bar. "Last call!" He shouted. "Last call for drinks!"

Kevin and Bill went down to the other end of the bar to place their orders.

"Last call, can I get you ladies a drink?"

Tess and Paige turned to see the guitarist leaning against the bar next to Tess.

"This is the first time I've seen you guys play, you were great!" Tess told him. "I really enjoyed it!"

He grinned at her. "I'm glad to hear that. We are lucky enough to have the most beautiful fans in the world."

Tess jumped at the sound of glasses being slammed under the counter. Griff was in front of them, slamming her and Paige's glasses into the bussing bins. "Last call."

"Whatever these two are having, put on my tab," he told Griff.

"No."

Paige and Tess watched this battle of wills with interest.

"Come on, Griff, no need to block me, there are plenty of women to go around."

Griff leaned against the bar. "There are plenty of women at the other end of the bar. Why don't you head over there?" His tone was low and tense.

Kevin and his friend had returned, standing behind them. Tess noticed the way Kevin laid a hand on the back of Paige's stool, in an almost possessive stance, but, of course, Paige didn't notice.

The guitarist looked from Griff to Paige and Tess and back again. "You trying to tell me you have laid claim to both these women?"

"Excuse me?" Tess spoke up. "No one _lays claim_ to us."

"I kinda wish someone would lay claim to me," Paige muttered

Griff snickered.

"Griff?"

Slutty McBigBoobs appeared on the other side of the guitarist. "Is it still last call? I was hoping you'd mix me one of your special margaritas."

Tess went to stand up again, but Paige grabbed her arm.

"Maggie mixes a mean margarita, Trish, she'll set you up," Griff said, not taking his eyes off the guitarist.

"It's just not the same," she whined.

"Griff."

He turned to Tess. She stood on the bottom rung of the stool and leaned toward him, grabbing the front of his shirt, she pulled him toward her and pressed her lips to his.

For a split second, Griff stood tensely, obviously caught off guard, but he quickly recovered and turned more toward her. He slid a hand up to cup her cheek before sliding it into her hair. Tess's grip on his shirt tightened as he deepened the kiss.

Neither of them realized how quiet the bar had gotten until they broke apart. Griff smiled at her, Tess returned the smile, too drunk to be embarrassed by her own behavior.

Behind them, Maggie rang the bell and everyone, except for Slutty McBigBoobs and the guitarist, applauded.

Tess sat back down and glared at Slutty McBigBoobs. Griff laughed and rubbed his hand over his face as it turned bright red.

"I think I just lost the respect of my employees," he told her.

The other two bartenders laughed.

"Who are you, kidding, Griff, we never respected you," the male bartender teased.

"I think everyone in this room actually has more respect for you now," Maggie added.

Kevin raised his beer in a salute. "I know I do, Boss."

"Did everybody see that?" Tess asked Paige.

Her friend nodded. "Yeah, I think it's safe to say everyone was watching."

"Good."

Griff set a beer in front of each of them. "Try and behave yourselves for a little while longer, I'll take you both home after we close up."

Tess grabbed his hand to stop him. "Griff?"

"What?"

"Did I embarrass you?"

He grinned at him. "No, Tess, but consider yourself warned. By noon tomorrow, everyone in town will have heard about this."

"Good."

He laughed and brought their joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.

* * *

Griff was wrong, it wasn't noon. Apparently, everyone in town had heard about it by 10 am.

"So, I hear you had a good time last night," Dana greeted her niece at the breakfast table the next morning.

Tess blinked, staring at her aunt and wishing the aspirin she had just taken would kick in. "Huh?"

"Too good of a time, from the looks of it," Harry teased.

"You and Griffin McManus are the talk of the town," Dana told her.

"What? Really?" Tess walked over to load bread into the toaster. "Is there really so little going on around here that people are talking about us?"

"When the most eligible bachelor in town is seen making out with the new girl, its big news."

By the time Tess walked into Flynn's at 2:00 on Monday, she had hoped it would have died down. It hadn't.

"So, Tess," Jenna greeted her at the door. "You and Griff, huh?"

"We've only gone out once."

"Trish Wilson said she saw you throwing yourself at him Friday night."

"What? Who is Trish Wilson?"

Jenna followed her across the restaurant. "She's this woman who has spent the last year flirting with Griff and wearing as little as she legally can while doing it."

"Oh, you must mean Slutty McBigBoobs."

Jenna laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like her."

Tess turned to the waitress. "She was the one throwing herself at him. Where is Griff?"

"In his office."

"Thanks." Tess crossed to the closed door of the office and knocked.

The door swung open and Griff motioned for her to come in, a phone pressed to his ear. "If all goes as planned we'll close in two weeks…uh huh…I'm working with Burke Associates, they worked on the pub with us…no…no…I'm planning on it…" He shut the door behind Tess and gestured to the desk chair, leaning against the door as she sat. "There will be plenty of work to do, I'm looking at bids now, but I won't make a decision until after we close…mm hm…all right, that sounds great…I'll be in touch…no, I have to go, I have a meeting…okay…will do, thanks for calling…goodbye."

He turned off the phone and grinned down at Tess. "Hi."

"Hi. You have a meeting? I can go work in the storage room, I want to…" She was interrupted when he put his hands on the arms of the chair and leaned down to silence her with a kiss.

"You're my meeting."

"Oh," was all she could think to say as she licked her lips.

"How're you doing?"

"Good, you?"

He smiled. "I'm great. The town gossip getting to you?"

"If the worst thing people say about me is that I'm dating the most eligible bachelor in town, I think I'll be able to handle it."

Taking the back of the chair, he spun her toward the desk and leaned over the top of the chair. "Glad to hear that. Now, I think we have some inventory to go over."

Tess spent the next twenty minutes trying to sell Griff on her new inventory system. When she finished and looked up at him, he was rubbing his chin and staring at the computer screen. "Well, what do you think?"

"It's a good system," he said.

"The one you have in place now is good, just a little outdated. I found some inconsistencies and, more than once, orders were doubled."

"Yeah. We've got enough vermouth to last us two years. "

"This program should prevent that from happening."

"Hm. It's funny, I didn't realize we could be doing this better."

"Sometimes you just need a fresh pair of eyes."

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm glad I found yours."

Tess tilted her head back and looked up at him. "So am I."

Very lightly, Griff brushed his fingertips down her throat. Tess closed her eyes and sighed as his touch caused shivers to run down her spine. He made a small sound of disappointment when someone knocked.

Griff wrenched open the door. "What?"

Iona stood on the other side with a piece of paper in her hand. "Food order list."

"Ah, thanks."

"And you're going to need someone in to look at the oven, it's not heating evenly and I don't like what it's doing to my food."

"I will."

She nodded a greeting to Tess and left them alone.

"It never stops, huh?" Tess asked.

He leaned against the desk, facing her. "Like I said, it's hard to have a social life when you're running a business. And with everything that's going on with setting up the brewpub, it's only going to get busier."

Smiling, Tess took his hand. "Then I guess it's a good thing I work here, or I'd never get to see you."

"Why do you think I offered you the job?"

"Why do you think I accepted the job?"

* * *

It had taken nearly two weeks, but Declan finally had it in his hand. The small, maroon velvet box. He had designed the ring online, then deleted it and redesigned it four times. When he finally stopped doubting his decisions, he placed the order. A guard he knew and trusted had gone down to retrieve the ring for him when it was done.

Now he stood in his bedroom, alone, and stared at the closed box. Taking a deep breath, he gently pried open the lid and his breath caught in his throat. It was perfect. It was Brina.

A 3.5 carat princess cut emerald was surrounded by small, round shaped diamonds. The diamonds continued halfway down the band, set in the white gold. He tilted the box, letting the light catch on the diamonds. Pulling the ring out of the box, he held it up to read the inscription,_ Forever_.

Declan wanted her to know that this was forever, whatever mistakes he had made in the past he had learned from them and wouldn't repeat them.

He snapped the box shut when there was a knock on his door. "Who is it?"

"It's me," Gideon called through the door.

Declan slid the box into a desk drawer. "Come on in."

"Hey, man, looks like we'll be moving in by the end of the month," Gideon announced as he entered. "Get ready for some heavy lifting."

"What heavy lifting? All you have is the stuff in your bedroom."

"Lynnai's parents are buying us a dining room set and mom and dad are getting us a living room set as housewarming gifts."

"Let me know when and where."

Gideon sat in the desk chair and spun around to face his brother. "How's it going, Dec?"

"Fine."

"You're happier."

"I am."

"But distracted."

Declan went over to the doorway and looked out in the hallway. Seeing no one, he slid the door shut and locked it. "Can you keep a secret?"

"You know I can."

He opened up the desk drawer and handed his brother the ring box.

"Is this what I think it is?"

Declan nodded.

Gideon opened the box and whistled. "Impressive."

"What do you think?"

"I think it's incredible."

"I've been thinking a lot about what you told me."

Gideon snapped the box shut and handed it back to his brother. "I tell you a lot of stuff."

"About not letting my gift define me."

"And what have you come up with?"

Declan lowered himself down on the end of his bed, facing his brother. "At first, it made me doubt myself and what I did."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know, but when you find yourself feeling stuck and questioning everything you're doing, doubt is a side-effect. I was using my gift to give me things to worry about, sometimes there were legitimate concerns, like when Tess was taken by Martyn. Then there were times, like when I thought Cady was in serious danger and it ended up being just a skinned knee. I have gotten better over the years in knowing what was real danger and what wasn't. But I realized I was using this as an excuse to worry about others, which was easier than dealing with myself and my problems."

Gideon nodded, understanding. "Thinking about what you want and pursuing what makes you happy doesn't mean you're selfish, Dec. You are an incredible leader of the Force and a great brother. As the oldest son, you've had this need to look out for all of us, but it's perfectly fine to take care of yourself too."

Declan smiled, pleased that his brother understood. "I decided to ask myself what it was I wanted to define me, what do _I_ want."

"And?"

"I want to marry Brina. I want to have a family and I want to be the best leader of the Force I can be."

Gideon grinned at him. "You're already a great leader and you'll only get better with time. You had a lot thrust on you at a young age, no one would blame you for having a minor existential crisis. When are you going to pop the question?"

"I haven't decided yet, but I want to do something special."

"You'll let me know if there is anything I can do to help?"

"You know I will."

"Dec?"

"Hm?"

"You said you've gotten better at knowing what was real danger and what wasn't."

"Yeah."

"Have you determined what's going on with Tess?"

Declan shrugged. "I still don't think she's in serious danger, but something is going to happen to her."

"She's a smart girl, she'll handle whatever is thrown at her."

"Yeah, and with Uncle Hunk's training, she can handle whoever is thrown at her. I'll just feel better when she's home."

"Yeah, I think we all will." Gideon stood. "I'm going to go find my beautiful wife before she spends all our money on new furniture."

"Where is she?"

"In our room, online, furnishing our new home before we've even moved in."

"You're going to make me help you paint, aren't you?"

"If Lynnai gets her way, there will be a lot of painting…"

"And she always gets her way."

Gideon smirked. "And she's pregnant, so she can't paint and if you want to hang out in the basement as much as I know you do, you'll be helping."

"Have you ordered the air hockey table yet?"

"Nope, just the bar."

Declan grinned at him. "We're going to have an amazing housewarming party."

"What about you guys? Are you going to stay in the castle?"

"We haven't really talked about that yet, but I guess that's something we'll have to discuss."

"That is, if she says yes."

"She'll say yes."

Gideon saluted his commander. "Catch ya later, Dec."

Alone in his room, Declan took the ring box out of the desk drawer again. What was the best way to propose to Brina?

Brina was an incredible pilot and soldier, she was smart, funny, and could be as much of a smartass as he could be. She was also a total homebody who loved nothing more that curling up on the couch and watching TV together or hanging out with her family in Alforia. She loved romance movies and books as well as grisly murder mysteries.

He rolled the ring box between his hands and paced the floor. What would she like? How could he make it special for her?

Declan froze. He could all but see the light bulb appear above his head. It was perfect.

Hiding the box back in the desk drawer, he sat down in front of his computer and started putting together the best way to convince the woman he loves to spend the rest of her life with him.


	8. Celebrating

Hi All,

First of all, thank you so much for your wonderful reviews, I really appreciate them! I've had a lot of fun writing this story and, as the end draws near, I know I'll miss writing it.

Second, this chapter gets a little racy, it's definitely R rated, or M rated. If you think you might be offended, please skip it.

Thanks!

Failte

* * *

When Tess had first planned her trip to Terra, she was going to rent a sporty car and do some traveling. She wanted to see New York City and Washington DC, she wanted to take her sketchbook and camera and find things she would never see on Arus.

But after a month on Terra, she had only gone as far as half an hour away when she went shopping with her aunt. She hadn't planned on getting swept up into the small town life of Houten, PA, but now she was helping her aunt prepare for the town's Independence Day celebration and working part-time at a bar.

Tess was spending a couple of hours every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon at Flynn's. She had the new inventory system in place and had trained Griff and the two other bartenders on it, as well as Iona. Most of her time was spent on data entry and updating the schedule, all of which gave Griff more time to dedicate to his planning of the brewpub. There had been some issues with the house inspection, but they should be closing in the next day or two.

The rest of her time was hers. She had found good friends with Paige and the crew at the bar, especially Kevin and Jenna. Tess started each morning going on a run, worried about what all the bar food she was eating lately was doing to her. She then had most of the day to explore as she filled her journal and sketchbook with images of this town she was falling in love with. Most evenings she hung out with her new friends, but Monday and Thursday evenings were her evenings alone with Griff.

Their first evening together, they had gone to see a movie and have dinner. Every Monday and Thursday since then, they would order something to eat from the pub and go up to his apartment above the bar to watch TV. Those were Tess's favorite evenings. Although, only a flight of stairs were all that separated them from his business, he seemed all right to leave it down there and curl up on the old sofa with her.

One night at the dinner table with her aunt and uncle, Dana had mentioned that she could use some help with the Independence Day party and now Tess was helping her gather tables and tents, post signs, and collect door prizes from local businesses.

The Houten Independence Day celebration was a block party that shut down most of Main Street from noon until nine at night. There was going to be games, live music, food, and drinks. Then, at nine, fireworks would be set off from the park.

Two days before the party, Tess was on Main Street visiting the pet groomers and the jewelry store to pick up gift certificates for the gift baskets her aunt was putting together for the raffles before heading to Flynn's to put in her Tuesday hours. It was miserably hot and humid out and she rushed from one store to the next, trying to stay in the air conditioning as long as possible.

Flynn's was nearly empty when she hurried inside, the only customers were Josh and Earl, the two elderly men who played games and drank beer in the afternoon. They had recently traded in their chess board for backgammon.

"Hi guys!" She called out as she walked past on her way to the office.

"Afternoon, Tess!"

"Hey there, pretty lady!"

There were only a few papers waiting for Tess when she entered the tiny office. She was halfway through entering the orders when the office door flew open.

"Come with me," Griff said, excitedly.

"Uh." She looked from the papers in front of her up to him. "I'm nearly done, give me ten minutes."

"No, I'm the boss. Come with me!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Wait!"

"Nope! Jenna, we'll be back in a little while!" He called out as they rushed past the bar.

"Don't let anyone mess with my stuff in the office!" Tess added.

Jenna waved.

"Where are we going?" Tess asked as he pulled her through the kitchen and out the back door.

Not saying a word, Griff held a key up for her to see.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yup." He jogged through the empty parking lot and into the backyard of the house behind them.

He had already explained his plans to her to turn the backyard into an extension of the parking lot for both restaurants.

Griff dragged her around the side and up the four steps to the front porch before dropping her hand and stretching out his arms. "Look at this place! Tables there, there, and there!"

Tess couldn't help but grin at his giddiness. "It's perfect."

He had told her about the house and sketched out blueprints for her to see, but this was the first time she would get inside. She knew that the owner had been an old woman who had spent the last three years in assisted living before passing away. Neither of her children wanted the house and they were thrilled to sell it so quickly.

It was a huge, four bedroom stone house with a wraparound porch that Griff was planning to hold six outdoor dining tables. The front parlor, living room, and study would hold the tables inside while the kitchen and dining room would be turned into one large professional kitchen. But it was when he talked about the basement that Griff was the most animated. That was where the brewing would take place.

"Isn't this amazing?" He grinned at her.

"It's amazing," she agreed, standing beside him and looking out over the front yard.

The house sat back from Maple Avenue; the street ran parallel to Main Street and was slowly being commercialized. Across the street was a salon and spa, next door was a dentist's office, and just down the street was a florist.

"We're going to extend the driveway around to the back," Griff explained, pointing out the changes. "People will enter on this side, go back to the parking and then we'll put in the exit on this side."

"I love the front yard," she said, looking at the two huge maple trees. "Are you going to landscape?"

"Of course. In the spring and summer I want flowers lining the walkway and during the holidays there will be lights in the trees."

"Perfect."

"Come on." He turned to the front door.

Tess saw his hand shake slightly as he tried to fit the key into the lock. His unbridled excitement brought a lump to her throat. She rubbed her hand over his back and kissed his shoulder.

"I can't believe it's finally happening," he whispered. "It's all mine. Well, no, it belongs to Griffin's Irish Rose Brewing LLC, but, well, same difference."

The name of the brewery was a tribute to his mother, Rose Griffin McManus, just as the name of the bar had been a tribute to his uncle.

The inside of the house was stiflingly hot when they entered. Tess instantly felt a drop of sweat run down her back as they entered the stuffy front hall.

"The hostess will stand here, there is a powder room there, we'll put in another one in the dining room." Griff said, either ignoring or not noticing the heat, turning right into the first room. "This is the front parlor."

It was a huge room with a large bay window looking out over the side yard. The walls were covered in floral wallpaper and the carpet was a stained tan.

"There are hardwood floors throughout the house," he continued. "All the carpet will be ripped up and all the wallpaper torn down. We'll be able to put eight tables in here. This is the living room, again, carpet ripped up and the wallpaper torn down. I have some ideas, but I haven't yet decided on colors yet for the wall."

She followed him into the kitchen, which was much smaller than she had expected, and dining room.

"This wall will come down making it one big room. Stoves there, a fridge there, two dishwashers. We're going to build another powder room there, between the dining room and study. Oh, man, I can't believe this is really happening!"

The rooms were all connected in a circle, so when they reached the parlor, they were back in the front of the house across the hall from the front parlor.

"This is my favorite room," he admitted. "We're not going to do much more than clean it, build the bar on the wall opposite the fireplace, and add a few smaller tables."

One wall was a massive window looking out over the front porch, the wall next to that held a huge stone fireplace with bookshelves on either side.

"I love it!" Tess gasped. "It's so warm and cozy."

"In the winter we'll have a fire in the fireplace, a real wood burning fireplace. Come on." Still not done, he led her up the wide staircase in the hallway and turned left, opening the only door on that end of the hall. "This will be my office, my _real_ office, not a storage closet! Of course, I will need to get rid of the pink carpet and striped wallpaper. Come on."

Tess didn't even get a chance to respond before he took her hand and pulled her down the hall.

"And this will be the office manager's office," he said, opening a door.

For a moment, Tess forgot she was going home in less than two months and she imagined herself in this room. The window looked out over the huge maple tree in the front yard, it would be beautiful in the fall.

"Want to see the basement?"

"I do."

"There's a door in the kitchen and another door that opens into the side yard," he explained as he ran down the steps.

It was easily twenty degrees cooler in the basement than the rest of the house. It was unfinished with a cement floor, metal pillars, and stone walls. Light seeped in from four small windows and an unsteady looking set of stairs led to a pair of access doors on the far wall.

Griff stood in the center of the room and took a deep breath. "This is it."

"This is it," she repeated.

"It's not much to look at now, but I have it all planned out in here," he said, tapping his temple with his fingertip. "I can't wait to get started."

"When do you start?"

"I'm hoping to start demo in the next couple of weeks. I have the bids, I just need to choose a contractor."

Tess stepped over to where he stood and smiled up at him. "I am so happy for you and so proud of you."

Griff gently touched her cheek with his fingertips. "Thank you so much."

"I didn't do anything."

"Thank you for sharing this with me," he whispered. "After all his hard work, I didn't get to share Flynn's with my uncle, it means a lot to share this with you."

Tess felt a lump form in her throat and tears burned her eyes. "Thank you for sharing it with me."

He spread his fingers to cup her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away a tear that had escaped. "I love you, Tess."

Another tear escaped as his words registered in her brain. Unable to talk around the lump in her throat, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

Griff hugged her tightly, burying his face in her neck.

After a moment, Tess lifted her head and cleared her throat, twice. "I love you, too."

He lowered his forehead to hers. "Let's go celebrate."

"All right."

"Let's go back to the bar and get some bubbly and sneak upstairs."

"Yes, let's."

Back at Flynn's, Tess slipped into the office to finish her work while Griff spoke with his staff.

Ten minutes later, he stuck his head in the office. "Hey, pretty Tess from Arus."

"Hey."

"You almost done?"

"Yup. Five minutes."

"Okay, I'm going to run out, go ahead on upstairs when you're done."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"Nope."

When she finished, Tess gathered up her ever present knapsack and camera case and headed out the backdoor. The only entrance to the apartment was up a flight of steps on the back of the building. Griff had shown her the hidden key underneath the second of three potted plants sitting on the tiny deck.

It was a good sized one bedroom apartment, a sparsely decorated bachelor's pad he used mostly for just sleeping. It had an open floor plan with a kitchen that flowed into the living area which held a comfy, old couch facing a large television. There was a small hallway that had a bathroom to the left and the bedroom to the right.

Tess fell back on the couch and took her journal out, writing down what had happened that afternoon. She was jolted from her thoughts thirty minutes later by a loud pounding on the door.

Through the window, she saw Griff, with his hands full, kicking the door.

"Where have you been?" She asked, taking the ice bucket with a bottle of champagne sticking out of it that he shoved at her.

"I told you we're going to celebrate and we're going to celebrate the right way. You hungry?"

"Sure."

"Good." He set a bag on the table and handed her a bouquet of red roses.

"Oh, Griff…"

"For you."

Tess melted a little as she set the ice bucket on the counter and took the flowers, pressing her face into the soft petals. "Thank you."

"Here, use this." He opened the cupboard above the fridge and handed her a pitcher.

Tess took the pitcher to the sink and filled it while he unpacked the bag. "What about the bar tonight?"

"Tuesdays are usually slow, they'll be fine."

After arranging the flowers, she turned to see him setting out fresh strawberries, a container of fresh whipped cream, and chocolates.

"What is this?"

"We're celebrating. I was trying to think of what goes well with champagne and I came up with strawberries and chocolate."

Tess felt silly and embarrassed as tears once again filled her eyes. No man had ever done this for her, no man, other than her father, had ever told her he loved her. And it had nothing to do with her title, her inheritance, or her connection to Voltron. He was just doing it for her, he loved her.

She stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek between his shoulders.

Griff rubbed his hand over her arm. "You okay?"

She nodded, tightening her arms around him.

"Tess." He turned in her embrace. "Pretty Tess from Arus, what is it?"

"I love you, so much," she whispered.

"I love you," he whispered back, hugging her tightly.

For several, quiet minutes, they stood in his kitchen, holding each other.

He lowered his head and pressed his lips to her ear. "Stay with me tonight."

All the evenings she had spent with him, Tess had never spent the night with him, or with any man. She nodded.

"Are you sure?"

She tilted her head back to look at him. "Yes."

He smiled softly and took a step back, taking her hands in his.

Tess let him lead her through the living room and into the bedroom. Her heart was pounding so hard she was worried he could hear it.

"Tess," he whispered. "Sweet, beautiful Tess."

Alone with him, in his bedroom, Tess had no idea what to do next. She nervously ran her hand over her hair.

Griff took her face in his hands and kissed her. She slowly relaxed against him, sliding her hands up his back. He slid his hands down her neck, pausing to gently squeeze her shoulders, before continuing down to untuck her shirt from the waistband of her shorts. As his hands slid under her shirt, he moved his mouth down to her neck.

As these new sensations overtook her, Tess forgot to feel nervous. She took the hem of his shirt in her hands and pulled it up to his chest. Griff stepped back just enough to pull his shirt off the entire way and throw it on the floor before returning to her, slowly tugging the light pink polo shirt she was wearing up and over her head.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, slowly sliding her bra straps off her shoulders.

Tess felt her knees weaken as he brushed his fingers over the swell of her breast before reaching behind her to release the clasp. Their bodies pressed together as he gently lowered her onto the bed beneath him. Trying not to over think the situation, Tess closed her eyes and let her body take over. She pressed against him, feeling his erection press against her leg through his shorts.

"Slow down," he chuckled, lifting his head to look down at her. "We have all night."

His touch was achingly soft as he explored her. With her eyes closed, every feeling was heightened by the fact that she didn't know where he was going next. He moved over her, using his mouth and his fingers to leave her squirming beneath him. With the patience of a saint, he carefully removed the rest of her clothing, leaving her hot and ready for him.

"You're too much," he said, sliding up her to kiss her mouth. "I can't get enough of you. Open your eyes, Tess."

She did, slowly, to find him staring at her. "My turn."

Tess didn't have much experience with men. It was hard for a young Princess who was always under guard to get alone time with her boyfriend.

She took her time, feeling and tasting him. His Irish complexion was much fairer than hers and she loved the contrast of her darker hand on his chest. He had fine hair on his chest that tapered down his stomach and disappeared beneath the waistband of his shorts. She peppered his chest with kisses as her fingers danced down the quivering muscles of his stomach.

He sucked in a breath and she smiled against his skin, thrilled that she had that affect on him. She slowly slid his shorts down his legs and looked down on him. He was gorgeous.

Impatient, Griff rolled here under him and slid his fingers between her legs as his mouth moved down her throat to her breasts. Her back arched and she gasped as he brought her to release the first time. He slid up her body again and positioned himself to slide inside her as she spread her legs. She closed her eyes, biting her lip in anticipation.

"Oh my God," he froze.

Tess opened her eyes to see him holding himself above her, his arms shaking with exertion as he tried not to move. "It's okay," she whispered.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"It's okay," she repeated, sliding her hands down his back and moving her hips. "I'm ready."

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry for this."

Tess cried out as he entered her.

"Oh Tess." He didn't move. "I didn't know."

She didn't say anything as her body adjusted to the intrusion. It was an amazing feeling, to have him inside her, on top of her. The pain was momentary, but the other sensations were mind blowing.

He let her set the pace, not moving until she did. "Slowly," Griff whispered. "Slowly."

As the discomfort faded, Tess let her body once again take over. She moved her hips, grinding against him, running her fingers up and down his back, trying to feel more of him.

"Oh God," he groaned against her skin.

"I'm okay. Please."

He began moving with her and small noises escaped her lips as she discovered new feelings and sensations. Griff slid a hand down her body, slipping a fingertip over the bundle of nerves at the top of her folds.

She gasped and her eyes flew open as her entire body tensed and then exploded. Griff found his release at the same time, collapsing on top of her.

"Wow."

He smiled against her throat. "You like that?"

"Mm hm."

He lifted his head and looked down at her, brushing the hair from her face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Does it matter?"

"It doesn't change how I feel, but it would have changed how I handled things."

"Oh, Griff, you handled things beautifully."

He chuckled and rolled off her. "Oh, Tess. Pretty Tess from Arus. You are too much." He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "You'll be sore."

"I'll be fine. I'm stronger than I look."

He rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his hand, looking down at her. "Yeah, you are."

She looked away from him, staring at the banner for a soccer team he had hung over his dresser. "Was…was it okay?"

"Hm?" He didn't appear to understand her question as he trailed his fingertip down her neck and over her shoulder.

Heat filled her cheeks and she rolled on her side, her back to him.

"Did you just ask if it was okay for me?"

She didn't respond.

Griff wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed his body against her. "It was amazing," he whispered into her ear. "You are the most beautiful, incredible woman I've ever known."

Tess smiled and turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. "Really?"

He kissed her cheek. "Really."

They stayed in bed, dozing for a couple of hours, until Griff decided he needed sustenance. He got out of bed and slipped into his shorts before leaving the bedroom

Tess pulled on her shorts and, not seeing where he had thrown her shirt, she picked up his t-shirt and slipped it on. It was a navy blue t-shirt with Flynn's printed over the heart and the back had Flynn's in large letters with the Love Knot beneath it.

She followed him into the living room.

"We left the whipped cream out," he said.

"Is it ruined?"

"I'm not going to try it. Can you survive on strawberries, chocolate, and champagne?"

She sighed dramatically and fell onto the couch. "I guess. If I have to."

"Well, I don't want you to suffer. I think I have some bologna."

"We'll save that for later."

Griff joined her, handing her a glass and setting the food down on the coffee table. He returned to the kitchen for the ice bucket. With a loud 'pop' he opened the champagne and poured them both a generous glassful.

Tess held her glass up. "Here's to you, Griffin's Irish Rose Brewery LLC, and all the success I know you'll have."

He shook his head. "No. This is for us. You and me."

She smiled, tapping the edge of her glass against his. "To us."

"And the fact that I just made you a woman."

Tess almost spilled her champagne as she laughed. "Such a romantic!"

He grinned at her over his glass.

They teased and flirted, sipped champagne, and shared strawberries and chocolate. Tess was feeling giddy and happy, truly happy.

Griff poked her knapsack with his foot. "You have your sketchbook?"

"Mm hm," she mumbled around a strawberry.

"You gonna let me see it?"

"You want to?"

"I do."

She set her glass on the table and pulled the book out of her bag. "You have to be nice."

"No I don't." He snatched it out of her hand and flipped it open.

The first sketch she had done on her flight to Terra. It was an image from memory of the lake and woods behind the castle. It was a very rough sketch and not her best.

"Is this Arus?"

"Yeah."

The next sketch was the fallen tree behind her aunt's house, then the paddleboat on the river, followed by the fence post and Queen Anne's lace, a decrepit old shed that stood behind a church on Main Street, and a close-up of the face of her aunt's neighbor's dog through the chain link fence between their yards.

"You're very talented," he said quietly. "You have a great eye for detail."

Tess chewed on the cuticle of her thumb, not realizing until now how important his opinion was to her. "Thank you."

The next page was a section of Main Street that included Flynn's and Page Turners. It was done in black and white with the only colors coming from the awning on the bookstore and Flynn's sign. The next page was a close-up of Flynn's sign, very detailed right down to the nicks in the wood. But it was the next image that she was most nervous about.

For three mornings, she had sat on the curb across the street from the house Griff was buying and sketched it. She thought it would be nice to have a 'before' picture of the place, before the work was started.

He stared at it for a long moment before lifting his gaze to her. "What are you going to do with these pictures?"

Tess shrugged.

"Can I have these last three?"

"Really?"

He closed the cover of the sketchbook and set it on his lap. "You are quite talented Tess. I'd like to frame those three sketches and hang the Main Street and Flynn's pictures downstairs and the one of the house in the brewpub."

His request touched her deeply. "You want to hang my sketches in your restaurants?"

Griff nodded. "Your art deserves to be shared."

"I'd be honored."

He stretched his arm across the back of the couch and picked up a lock of her hair, curling it around his finger. "Beautiful, smart, and talented. I feel like I've won the girlfriend jackpot."

"And I get my drinks comped at my boyfriend's bar. I think we both made out well."

* * *

Early the next morning, Tess woke and slipped out of Griff's bed. He was sound asleep, sprawled across the bed, obviously not used to sharing it with someone.

"Where are you going?" He mumbled as she slid into her sandals.

"I have a lot of work to do today to help Aunt Dana with the party."

"When will I see you again?"

Tess stood next to the bed and looked down on him. He laid on his back, his arms folded behind his head, watching her. The comforter had slid down and was bunched at his waist. Everything in her wanted to crawl back in with him. "How busy are you tonight?"

"The night before a holiday is always busy," he explained. "People get off work early, they don't have to go in in the morning, and they're feeling the holiday spirit. So, we'll be busy tonight and during the party tomorrow."

"Oh."

"We all close at 8:30 tomorrow so everyone has time to get to the park for the fireworks. Meet me at the bar at 8:45."

"You're on."


	9. Perfect

Dana knocked on the door to Tess's bedroom early on the morning of the block party. They were expected on Main Street at 8:00am to start setting up. All the stores were setting up sidewalk sales, local organizations and scout troops put together bake sales and games, including a dunk tank with popular teachers, and a stage was being set up at the far end of the businesses where musicians would play throughout the day.

Tess spent the morning helping her aunt and the other members of the town's revitalization committee set up their tent. They had two tables, one holding the raffle prizes and a couple of games of chance, all the money raised going into the committee's fund. The other table held pictures of what they had done and pamphlets of information about what other work they wanted to do.

When she finished there, she made her way over to Page Turners, helping Paige and her parents set out a sale table before assisting the a local women's group set up their tables of crafts for sale.

By noon, people began arriving in the mid-day heat. The food being grilled by the café made the entire street smell amazing. The first group, a local band made up of teenagers, took to the stage and played some covers of popular music. Kids gathered in little groups and ran from table to table trying to win prizes while their parents met up with friends to chat.

Tess spent a couple of hours volunteering in her aunt's tent and collecting money for the raffles and games.

By three, the crowd had only grown and the heat even more oppressive. Paige ducked into the shade of the tent.

"Hey, do you get a break?" She asked.

Tess looked over to where her aunt and another woman sat, fanning themselves. "Hey, Aunt Dana, do I get a break?"

"Go, sweetheart, have fun!"

"Yeah, fun," Paige muttered. "It's 105 degrees with 350% humidity."

"Let's get a drink."

"You just want to go flirt with your boyfriend."

"And get a drink." Tess sidestepped two young boys with water guns running down the street.

Paige picked up a pamphlet from a table as they passed, using it to fan her face. "Why couldn't Independence Day be in the fall, a nice, cool early October day?"

"Well, if we build a time machine and travel back, maybe we could convince your Founding Fathers to hold off a couple of months."

"You say that like its impossible."

Every outdoor seat at Flynn's was taken and several other people stood around, talking. Maggie was bartending at the temporary bar they had set up just outside the front door. Inside was pretty crowded, people trying to escape the heat. Mike, the other bartender, was serving beers while Jenna, Kevin, and two other servers moved from table to table.

Paige pushed her way up to the bar, Tess at her heels. "Hey, Mike."

"Hey, Paige, what can I get you?"

"A margarita. Blended and extra cold."

"Extra cold. Got it." He turned to Tess. "And what about you?"

Tess thought for a moment. "That sounds really good, I'll have the same, no salt."

"I haven't seen you around here before."

Tess turned to see a dark haired guy sitting on the stool next to her. "Oh, I'm just visiting."

"Yeah? Do you need someone to show you around?"

"Nope, I'm good. Thanks."

The guy's friend laughed, but that didn't stop him. "Where are you from?"

"Arus."

"Arus? I've heard of that place." He furrowed his brow. "Why do I know Arus?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It's a beautiful place."

"Here you go, ladies," Mike said, setting their drinks on the bar.

"Where's Griff?" Tess asked, reaching for her wallet.

"Office. Don't worry about it, Tess, employees drink free."

She looked at him skeptically. "Since when?"

"Since the part time office manager started dating the owner."

"What about employee's friends?" Paige asked.

Mike winked at her. "Don't tell the boss man."

"I can pay for my drink," Tess insisted.

But Mike had already moved down the bar to take another order.

"Don't argue," Paige told her, picking up her drink and turning to find a place to sit. "Enjoy it. Oh! Table!"

"I'll be right back," Tess told her. "Save me a seat."

She wove her way through the crowd to the office door and knocked.

The door opened a crack before opening wide enough to allow her in. "Hey pretty Tess from Arus, what brings you here?"

She held up her glass. "Margaritas. Why aren't you out there?"

He held up a tube of sunscreen. "Preparing to take over for Maggie in a few minutes. Its hard work keeping skin this pale."

"Awww, poor baby."

"Says the woman with a tan, you will never understand my misery." He mumbled, rubbing a glob of sunscreen in the back of his neck. "I hate summer."

"You're the boss, make Mike go out."

He smirked. "He's doing the last shift this evening, that way none of us will be out there longer than three hours."

Tess set her drink down on the desk. "Come here, turn around. You're being all sloppy." She rubbed the sunscreen into his neck and under his collar. "You're already red back here."

"I know, I always forget the back of my neck."

"Do you have an aloe plant?"

"No."

"That would help with sunburn. Your ears too, don't forget those."

He turned to face her. "If I get one, would you help me apply aloe to my burns?"

"Mm hm." She spread the sunscreen around his neck. "You used too much back there."

He took a step closer. "Having fun out there?"

She slid her arms around his neck. "It's hot and humid and miserable. I'm having more fun in here."

"We can have lots of fun in here." He lowered his head to kiss her.

A loud knock on the door had him skimming her lips. "Damnit."

"You had to own a popular restaurant, didn't you?" She teased.

"Hey." He grabbed her arm before she could step away. "I love you." Griff kissed her quickly.

"Love you, too." It gave her a quick thrill to say it.

"8:45," he said when there was a second knock.

"8:45." She picked up her drink and opened the door.

"Oops! Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," Jenna said, not sounding the least bit sorry. "But Mike said he needs more vodka before you head outside and he can't leave the bar."

"Thanks, Jenna, I'll take care of it." He laid his hand on the small of Tess's back and steered her through the door.

"Try not to burn too much," Tess teased.

"I burn under a 60 watt bulb." He mumbled.

"Good thing I find pale men sexy."

"That's it, I am never taking you to Ireland."

She laughed. "A whole island of pale, ginger men? I wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Oh, there are the black Irish, too."

"And they all sound like you?"

"Yup."

"Oh man, that sounds like heaven on earth."

He glared at her. "Go. I have work to do."

With a huge grin on her face, Tess slipped into the crowd and found her way to the small table Paige was holding.

"About time, I'm almost done," Paige said as her friend joined her.

"Sorry, had to get my fix."

"Gross."

Tess laughed. "We have to get you a man."

"I've been trying."

"Voltron!"

Tess jumped and looked up to see the guy who had been hitting on her at the bar. "What?"

"Voltron is from Arus," he said, grinning at her. "I knew I had heard of Arus somewhere."

"Uh, yes, he is."

"You ever see him?"

"Um, yeah."

"What's he like?"

"He's huge. And metal."

He put his hand on the back of Tess's chair. "Do they bring him out for, like, celebrations?"

She looked up at him, incredulous. "What? No! He's not a toy, he is the most powerful military machine in the universe."

"Hey, I don't know, I've only read about him."

"Uh, look, my friend and I are just trying to talk and have a drink. I'm really not interested."

He held up both hands. "All right, all right, I get it. No problem."

"What was that about?" Paige asked after he left.

"Voltron, he's a military robot created by the joining of five lion ships. He's the defender of the universe and he is from Arus."

"I know about Voltron, everyone has heard of Voltron. Although, I forgot he was from Arus. No, I mean, what's with the attitude?"

"What attitude?"

"I don't know, I mean, yeah, he was kind of obnoxious, but you could've been nicer."

Tess shrugged. "Sometimes they just can't take a hint and you have to be rude."

"You girls want another one?" Kevin asked, appearing at their tableside.

Tess looked at Paige, who shrugged in response.

"Oh, go ahead," he prodded. "It's a holiday."

"Okay, why not?" Paige said.

"You're a bad influence," Tess told him.

"I'm paid to be. Margaritas?"

"Yup. And can we have an order of mozzarella sticks? I need to eat something with this." Tess watched him walk away before turning back to her friend. "So, why don't you just ask him out?"

Paige sighed. "If he wanted to go out with me, he would've asked."

"Or he doesn't know how you feel."

"I've been dropping hints since I was sixteen."

"Maybe you need to stop dropping hints and just talk to him."

"Or maybe I should just give up on this childish crush and find someone else."

"Do you really want to do that?"

"No."

"Then don't give up."

Paige finished off her drink and set it down. "How do I get him to think of me as more than just a friend?"

"Tell him how you feel."

"But I don't want to lose him as a friend."

"Who's that?" Kevin asked as he set their drinks down in front of them.

Paige looked at Tess, horrified.

"Can we add an order of chicken fingers to the mozzarella sticks?" Tess asked. "I'm starved."

"Sure." He made a note on his pad and went to add it to their order.

She turned back to Paige. "Okay, he's totally clueless. Talk to him."

"I don't think I can."

"Paige, I know it's scary, but nothing will change unless you do something. At least you'll know one way or the other how he feels. I know he isn't seeing anyone right now, Jenna keeps trying to get him to let her set him up."

"Why won't he let her?"

"He said he doesn't trust her to find someone he'll like. Do you want me to drop some hints, kind of feel him out about you?"

Paige shook her head. "Part of me wants to let you do that, but no, I'm an adult, this isn't middle school."

"Just because we're adults doesn't mean it's any easier."

"You and Griff make it look easy."

"What?"

"You knew each other less than a week and you were going out on a date, you just clicked right away."

Tess rubbed her hand over the watch on her left wrist. She had no doubt in her mind that the magic that surrounds the Arusian royal family helped bring her and Griff together. They did seem to just click. He was her soul mate, of that she was absolutely certain.

"It's different with everyone. My parents thought they couldn't be together, they had to work closely together for a couple of years before they could even date. My mom said it was torture, she fell in love with him when they first met, but she thought he didn't care for her that way and my dad thought he could never be with my mother, so he tried to put distance between them. Here we are, over 30 years later and they're happily married with six kids and two grandchildren."

A confused look crossed over Paige's face. "Why couldn't your parents be together?"

Tess took a sip of her drink to buy herself some time. Maybe it was time to tell her friend the whole truth, but this wasn't the place and she wanted to tell Griff everything first. "Someday, I'll tell you the whole sorted, romantic story."

"Mozzarella sticks and chicken fingers," Kevin announced, setting the food down in front of them. "Anything else?"

Twenty minutes later, happily full of margaritas and fried food, Tess and Paige made their way back out into the sticky, July heat.

"Yeah! Voltron!"

Tess chose to ignore the guy from the bar as she walked past him and his friend.

"Let's take a quick walk around before I head back to the bookstore," Paige said. "I heard a rumor that my old English teacher is volunteering at the dunk tank. I really want to dunk him. Jerk. Gave me a 'B' on my Of Mice and Men book report, that was 'A' caliber work."

They stopped to buy lemonade from a church group before taking a few minutes to listen to the current band playing. Paige's former English teacher had been in the dunk tank the previous hour and she liked the math teacher too much to try and dunk her. They then stopped to buy homemade cookies from a local women's group before they headed back to their own places.

"You going to the fireworks later?" Paige asked.

"Yup. I'm meeting Griff at 8:45. Come with us."

"Uh, no, I don't want to be a third wheel."

"Oh stop. I'll text Griff and have him invite Kevin along."

"No! I don't want Griff to know, he has no tact, he'll just tell Kevin straight up that I like him."

"Well, someone has to."

Paige glared at her.

Tess grinned back. "All right, all right, I won't invite Kevin, but come with us anyway."

"We'll see."

The heat had not let up as the evening arrived and it was still quite warm as the sun set and the street lamps came on. Tess checked her watch as she stood in front of Flynn's. It was 8:43. The outdoor bar had been cleared and the liquor taken back inside. The tables out front were empty and the employees filed out of the bar.

"Hey, you guys going over to the park?" She asked Maggie and Jenna as they walked out.

"Yup. See you over there?" Jenna asked.

"As soon as Griff gets out here."

Paige appeared at her side. "All right, I'm here."

Tess smiled and leaned over to bump her shoulder with her own. "Glad to see you."

"Think Griff will give us margaritas to go?"

"Sorry, open container laws."

"Stupid government."

The door opened again and Kevin came out, followed by Griff who turned to lock the door.

"Hey, Kevin, you heading down to the park?" Tess asked.

"Nah, I've had enough of people today, I'm heading home."

"Oh come on, Paige is coming too."

"Yeah," Griff added. "We don't want her to be a third wheel all by herself."

"Gee, thanks," Paige grumbled.

Tess slipped her arm through Kevin's. "It has been a great day, it is a beautiful evening, join us!"

"But get your own woman," Griff added, taking Tess's hand and pulling her toward him.

The four of them followed the crowd from Main Street, up Pell Avenue one block, before turning left onto Elm Street to Hunter Park.

Every bench and picnic table was occupied, people sat on the swings and the slides, and blankets covered every possible inch of ground.

"Hm, I probably could've planned this better," Griff said.

"Over here," Kevin said, weaving around blankets and leading them through the park toward the baseball diamond on the other side of the playground. "Feel like, possibly, getting in trouble?"

"Of course," Paige replied.

"When we were kids, my little league team and I would climb up here," he explained, walking over to the dugout.

The back and sides of the dugout were covered with planks of wood, painted green, that had about three inches of space between each plank. Kevin stuck his foot into one of the spaces, reached up with his hands and boosted himself up onto the roof of the dugout. He leaned down and offered Paige a hand as she pulled herself up. Tess and, finally Griff, followed.

All four of them sat on the edge of the dugout roof, looking out over the field of people waiting for the show to start.

"Perfect seat," Tess whispered, leaning back to look up at the sky.

"I'm really surprised no one else thought of this," Kevin said.

"But they're stealing your idea." Paige pointed to the other dugout where they could make out the silhouettes of some people climbing on top.

The first rocket streaked through the air with a loud whistle, exploding over them in a bright flash of white. People "ohhed" and "ahhed" as more fireworks shot into the sky above them.

"Lay back," Kevin suggested. "That's the best way to watch them."

The four of them laid back to see a completely unobstructed view of the show.

Tess felt Griff's fingers brush over hers before he took her hand in his and squeezed gently. She stared up at the wide, star strewn sky as fireworks exploded above them. For the first time in weeks, she was feeling homesick. The distance between Arus and Terra suddenly seemed too far.

* * *

It took him weeks to plan and prepare, going to Cady, Gideon, and Brina's sister for help, but Declan knew it would all be worth it. He wanted the whole evening to be memorable and he thought that he might just have achieved that.

Declan had been happy and excited, feeling like he had a mission now, something to work towards. He and Brina had been dating for nearly seven years, except for a few months off that he didn't like to think about. He had been happy in their life together, it was safe, it was fun. But it was time to move forward if he wanted to make some changes. The entire team had worked so hard for so long to secure the safety of Arus and now was as good a time as any to make her his wife and plan their family.

"You ready for this?" Gideon asked as he watched his brother pace.

"I think so. Do you think it's too much?"

Gideon shrugged. "For you? No. When is she coming home?"

"She's supposed to be back in fifteen minutes."

"Okay, I'll let you get ready." Gideon stood up. "Good luck, man, I'll see you after she says yes."

Declan crossed over to hug his brother. "Thanks, for everything."

"Any time."

When he was alone, Declan went back to the mirror over his dresser and checked his hair. He wore the tux he had bought for Gideon's wedding, the ring in his pocket. After running his brush through his hair again, Declan took a deep breath to calm his nerves and left.

Brina was out shopping with her sister. When she returned to the castle, she would go to her bedroom where a single red rose would be laying in the middle of her bed on top of a piece of paper with the note: **Please come to the rose garden.**

Declan paced the pathway in the rose garden, waiting for her. The garden had started with six bushes, but his father added to it over the years until there were nearly three dozen bushes in a rainbow of blooms: red, pink, white, yellow, and hybrids. They were at the height of their bloom and the scent was sweet and welcoming, it always reminded Declan of home.

The sun was just setting, the sky streaked pink, yellow and orange as stars started popping out over the indigo sky. Insects and frogs were creating the soundtrack as Declan stopped beside a bush of yellow roses and looked up to see the two and a quarter moons.

"Declan?"

He turned quickly at the uncertain voice. "I'm here."

Brina followed the trail of rose petals he had sprinkled along the path to where he stood, waiting for her. "Hi."

"Hi."

"So…what's up?"

Declan stepped to her, taking her hands in his. For a moment, he just looked at her, his nerves taking over him as she looked up at him, expectantly. "Brin, I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I've been feeling restless and stuck, I missed adventure and excitement. I found myself trying to figure out what I want to do, where I want to go. And it seemed like everything led me back to one conclusion."

Declan released her hands and took the ring box out of his pocket. Getting down on one knee, he opened the ring box and presented the ring to her.

Brina gasped and clapped both hands over her mouth.

"Thank you, so much, for giving me another chance when I know I didn't deserve it. Thank you for understanding me when I didn't always understand myself. You are the best person I've ever known, the most beautiful woman, inside and out, that I've ever known. Being with you has made me a better man. I realize now that I have waited too long. I am ready. I am ready to be your husband. I am ready to have a family with you. I hope you're ready to be my wife because I know now that this would be the next great adventure. Will you marry me, Brina, and start this adventure?"

"Oh! Oh, Declan…yes, of course! Yes!"

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

Getting to his feet Declan wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips to hers in an excited kiss. Brina wound her arms around his neck and held him tightly to her.

He lifted his head and looked down at her, tears burning his own eyes as he saw the tears on her cheeks. "I love you."

"I love you too. And it's about damn time."

"I don't want to wait. Gid and Lynnai waited almost three years after he proposed, I want to do it a lot sooner."

"Me too. We'll have to talk to your mom and see when the soonest possible date we can marry is."

He kissed her again. "Yes, I like that idea."

"Declan?"

"What?"

"Where's my ring?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry." In his excitement, he forgot to give it to her, but when he looked at the box, it was empty. "Oh, oh shit. Where is it?"

"Where did it go?" She asked, looking around.

"It must've fallen out when I hugged you." Declan took a step back, looking down on the ground. Not seeing it, he fell to his knees, running his hands over the path.

Brina fell to her knees beside him, searching. "Dec, get up, you're in a tux."

"Forget the tux, where is it? It had to be an emerald and I had to drop it in the grass."

"Don't worry, we'll find it." She ran her hands over the grass. "It has to be here somewhere."

"I had this whole thing, perfectly planned out, I designed the ring, I set up this romantic proposal and then I drop the damn ring." He muttered.

Brina grabbed his shoulder and forced him to turn to her. "It was perfect."

"Nearly," he said, disappointedly.

Laughing, she threw herself at him and tackled him onto the grass. "I love you so much, Declan. I love that you planned all this out, I love that you designed my ring, and I love that you proposed perfectly."

"But it can't be perfect until my ring is on your finger."

"We'll find it." She kissed him. "It's here and we'll find it. You really designed it?"

He brushed her hair back from her face. "I did. It took forever for me to make it just right and it is so perfect for you."

A tear fell from her eye and landed on his cheek.

Declan gently rolled over until she was beneath him and leaned down to kiss her.

"Ow, ow wait." Brina reached under her back and pulled her ring out from under her.

"That's it!" Declan exclaimed, snatching it from her hand and sitting up. "Give me your hand."

Brina sat up and her hand trembled as she held it out to him.

Dec took a moment to brush the dirt off and pull a blade of grass out from beneath the setting before sliding it on her finger.

"It _is_ perfect," she breathed, holding her hand out in front of her.

"It fits?"

"Mm hm." She swallowed, too moved to speak.

He kissed her cheek. "This makes it official."

"I need to call my mom," Brina said quietly, not looking away from her ring.

He laughed. "I had a feeling you would say that."

"My parents were starting to think you'd never propose."

"I was comfortable with where we were, I was afraid of screwing it up."

"You were afraid of screwing it up by getting married and having a family?"

"No, I was afraid of screwing it up if you didn't accept my proposal and I ruined everything we have."

Brina cupped his cheek in her hand. "How could you think I'd say no?"

Declan shrugged.

"Didn't you know what I would say?"

He shook his head. "It's weird. My…my _gift_ gives me insight as to what people close to me are going to be going through, but I never know when something affects me as directly as this does. Like, I knew when Cady, Lynnai, and Sky were all expecting, but I won't know when you are. It's kind of like a mean trick being played on me by my bloodline."

"I don't know, I don't think its mean," she said. "I think it's wonderful that you will still have surprises in your life."

"And you were the best surprise of all," he whispered, leaning close. "When you first took over flying Green, I never thought I would be sitting in the rose garden, proposing to you."

She leaned in, stopping just a breath away from him. "And I'm so glad you are."

Declan gave her a quick kiss before getting up and offering her his hand. "Come on, let's go tell your mom."

Brina let him haul her to her feet before brushing the grass and dirt from the back of her pants. "She's going to freak out."

"In a good way?" He asked, helping her brush the grass from her hair.

"In a great way. Oh, Dec, turn around, you're covered in grass."

"You tackled me," he muttered, turning so she could brush off the back of his jacket.

"I couldn't help it, you were so cute and disappointed and I just wanted to kiss you."

"Come on." He took her left hand in his and started down the path. "Before it gets too late for you to tell her tonight."

But instead of heading toward the castle, Declan led her around to the lake. There, two picnic tables were laden with champagne and delectable treats. Lanterns hung from the trees and a string quartet sat at the ready as all the members of her family and his extended family waited, watching.

Declan lifted their joined hands. "She said yes!"

A cheer went up as they were quickly surrounded by their loved ones. The quartet started playing and the party began.

Brina looked around, shocked and a little overwhelmed. "What is going on?"

Declan leaned over and whispered in her ear. "I knew you'd want to share this with your family, so I figured, why wait?"

She grinned up at him. "Thank you."

"Thank _you_." He gave her a quick kiss before Brina was grabbed by her sister in a bear hug and he was a surrounded by his siblings.

They celebrated long into the night, champagne flowed and sweets were eaten. A section of lawn was turned into an impromptu dance floor as the quartet played fast and slow songs. Allura teared up as one more of her children began the next step in their lives and she begrudgingly agreed that a wedding could be planned in six months, as long as they sent out the invitations within the next two weeks.

Declan was over the moon, tossing his jacket over a picnic bench and untying his bowtie, letting it hang around his neck as he danced with his fiancée. She laughed, riding high on her happiness and a couple of glasses of champagne.

When he walked her back to her room, well after midnight, Brina was still smiling and holding her left hand out in front of her.

"We're getting married," she sighed.

"We are."

"I can't believe you set up an entire party."

"I knew you'd want to share this with our families and I knew I'd want to celebrate."

"Oh, our celebrating is just beginning," she teased, dragging him into the bedroom with her.


	10. Distance

Tess was wakened Monday morning by her cell phone ringing. The weekend had been a busy one of seeing a band play at the bar, getting mani/pedis with Paige and Jenna, followed by a girls' movie night, where Paige gushed about Kevin walking her home after the fireworks, and then spending Sunday helping her uncle with yard work. Since she didn't have anything planned until she was going to meet Griff that evening, she hadn't bothered with setting an alarm.

She grabbed her phone, seeing it was already 10:00. "Hello?"

"Are you really a princess?"

"What?"

"Are you really a princess?"

It took a moment for Tess's mind to wake enough to recognize Paige's voice. "What are you talking about?"

"Word on the street is that you're a princess from Arus and your dad is a Voltron pilot. Is that true?"

"Who said that?"

"Lorri Nausbaum was in, she said everyone is talking about it."

"Shit!"

"So, it's true? Why didn't you tell me?" Paige sounded hurt.

"Did Griff hear?"

"You didn't tell him either?"

Tess ran around the room, grabbing clean clothes. "Look, it's not what you think. I just…when I got here and no one knew who I was I just went with it. I liked being anonymous, not having to worry about the media or wondering if people were being nice to me because of my title. I didn't mean to mislead anyone."

"Do you have crown?"

Tess froze, thrown off by the question. "What?"

"I was just wondering."

"I have a couple of tiaras and, no, I didn't bring them with me. I have to go talk to Griff."

"You're not off the hook with me," Paige said. "I want the whole story."

"I'll tell you everything, I promise."

"All right. I'm going to hold you to that. Hi, Mrs. Landen! I'll call you later." Paige hung up.

Tess showered, dressed, and ran downstairs. "Aunt Dana, can I borrow your car?"

"Of course, is everything all right?"

"I don't know. I'll be back later." Tess grabbed the keys and ran out the front door.

It was 10:47 when she pulled up in front of the bar, it was not yet open but there would be people inside preparing for lunch. She knocked on the front door, hopping from one foot to the other, hoping against hope that Griff hadn't heard anything yet, she wanted to be the one to tell him.

Jenna unlocked and opened the door. "Your highness," she teased, dropping into a bad impression of a curtsy.

Tess scowled at her. "I take it everyone has heard."

"So, it's true?"

"Yes, but it doesn't really mean anything. Where's Griff?"

"He took off today."

"What? He never takes off."

Jenna gave her a pitying look. "I heard he was here early this morning, working in the office. Then he told Iona he was taking off for the day and left."

"Does he know?"

"I didn't talk to him. Why did you keep it a secret?"

Tess sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I just wanted to be normal, to have a normal vacation, have a normal life. I'm the same person I was yesterday, but now everyone is treating me differently."

"You're royalty."

"I'm Tess, just Tess."

"Try upstairs."

"Thanks."

Hurrying through the restaurant and out the back door, Tess started up the back stairs, but stopped. She knew he wasn't up there. Instead, she turned and walked across the parking lot, her stride slowing as she approached the large stone house. What was she going to say? What was he going to say? Would he even talk to her?

The door to the kitchen was open and music came floating out into the humid morning. Classic rock played loudly over uneven pounding. Through the screen door, she saw him swing a sledge hammer into the outdated cabinets on the far wall. The hammer slammed into the old wood, splintering it and sending shards flying. He set the hammer against the bottom cabinets and reached up to rip the loosened cabinet off the wall.

Tess knocked on the door, but he didn't hear her. She pulled open the screen door and stepped into the musty, hot, humid room.

"Griff?"

He either didn't hear her or was ignoring her.

She turned to the MP3 player on the counter and turned it off.

Griff had just leaned over to pick up the hammer again. He turned and saw her standing by the door. "Oh, good morning, Your Highness." He bent deeply at the waist in an exaggerated bow.

"Griff…"

"Let me tell you about the morning I had," he said, his voice full of false cheer. "I was wakened at 8:30 this morning by my phone ringing, it was the local television station. They asked me for a comment about the woman who had recently started working at the bar. They told me she was the daughter of two of the most powerful people in Intergalactic Defense, a Princess. I told them they had the wrong number."

"Griff…"

"I'm not done." He took off the safety goggles he was wearing and set them on the counter. "They assured me they didn't. They were interested in interviewing Princess Tess Whitaker and asked if I could get them in contact with her. I told them I had no comment. What else was I supposed to say? That this woman I had hired, this woman I had fallen in love with hadn't told me who she really was?"

Tess looked away, unable to answer his questions.

"Then I got to thinking," he continued. "All the times we were together and we talked about our families, I told you all about my mother and father, my uncle, but all of your answers were pretty vague. I knew you came from a large family, but that was really all. I tried to not think too much about it, I figured you had some family issues and would open up when you were ready. But the more I thought about it, the more nagging questions started to come up. Everyone knew Dana's brother was some kind of military genius, I didn't know the details, but she was proud of him. So, I got up, went down to the office and started looking things up online. Know what I found?"

When Tess didn't answer, he went on. "I found thousands of pictures of Princess Tess Whitaker, the sixth in line to the throne, a member of the famous Arusian royal family. You're from a very powerful, wealthy family. You had a 'Coming Of Age Ball' when you turned eighteen and have been dating non-stop since then. Did you really break off an engagement with a prince from some place called Baedervood?"

"We were never engaged," Tess protested.

He ripped his work gloves off and threw them on the counter. "Are you sure? Because you haven't been too honest with me so far."

"Griff, we went on one date. If you'll let me explain…"

"Oh, you'll get a chance to explain, I just want to get a few things off my chest. It seems that somebody at the block party recognized you and word spread like wildfire. I was one of the last people to know. Do you have any idea how humiliating that is?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Oh, you're sorry? Well, then, that fixes everything now, doesn't it? So, what was your plan here? Was this trip just some way to sow some wild, royal oats? Bed a commoner before heading back to your castle and marrying some prince from some other powerful, wealthy family?"

"How can you say that?" Tess protested angrily.

"How can I say that? How can you lie to me? How can you tell me you love me, sleep with me, spend all that time with me, and not tell me who you are?"

"That was not my intention. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I was going to tell you everything…"

"But it did happen and you didn't tell me," he snapped, whirling around and grabbing the hammer.

"Griff, will you let me explain?" She asked quietly.

He stood with his back to her, twisting the hammer's handle in his hands. After a moment he turned to her. "Yes. Please. I'd like to know what was going through your head."

Tess took a deep breath and tried to decide where she was going to start. "When…when I planned this trip, I was just looking for a chance to get away. I…we, my brothers and sisters and I, live in, what I call, a protective bubble. My parents can be pretty strict and overprotective. They have their reasons, they endured a lot, fighting Doom and rebuilding Arus. My sister, Cady, was first taken when she was just six months old. Even years later, Cady was taken again on Christmas Eve, and I was…I was taken…" she trailed off.

"I read about that," he said quietly.

"I never had a normal life. I was always followed by guards, the media were everywhere. It seemed like everything about my life had to be shared with the public. I hated it. Going to and from school, they were there taking pictures. I never liked being the center of attention. I didn't have a lot of friends outside of my family. Cady told me once that people were intimidated by us. And then there were the people who tried to get close because of who we were, kids who wanted to be friends so they could visit the castle or try and see the lions. That was an awful feeling. You never really knew who you could trust and who you couldn't. Dating was even worse. You said you found pictures of me online, did you see pictures of the rest of my family?"

He nodded.

"Then you saw Cady. Have you ever seen a more beautiful woman?"

"Yes," he said simply, looking at her.

Tess fell a little bit more in love with him. "I'm not jealous of her. I love Cady, she is the greatest big sister anyone could ask for. She is next in line to rule Arus, she's gorgeous, she's smart and sweet. When she had her 'Coming of Age' ball, the number of men interested in her was incalculable. But they didn't really want her, they wanted her title, her fortune, her connection to Voltron. And I remember thinking that if she couldn't find a man to love her for her, then none of us have a chance. And then Tristan came along. She told me she fell in love with him at first sight, but they didn't think they could be together. He was a soldier on a mission and he wasn't going to be on Arus for long. But he did fall in love with her, for who she was, it was meant to be. He is the best man for her, they married and have two amazing little boys. And that made me think that, maybe, there was hope for all of us.

"Dating was not something easy for us. Before my 'Coming of Age' Ball, I could only go on a date if I had a chaperone. That didn't go over well. I went on a total of two dates before I turned eighteen. As my eighteenth birthday approached, the requests started coming in. "

Tess stopped, feeling embarrassed. She hated talking about this, all those years when she thought she'd never find someone because she wasn't as pretty as Cady or that the only thing a man could possibly love about her was her inheritance.

She cleared her throat and continued. "I am currently sixth in line to rule Arus, but that will change. I have no doubt Cady and Tristan will have at least one more baby, she wants to try for a little girl. Gideon is married and his wife is pregnant, and if Declan ever makes an honest woman out of Brina, they'll have kids someday. All this means I will never rule, and I'm fine with that. I don't want to rule. But my title, my connections, and my inheritance were still appealing. Correspondence came from all over, princes who would never rule, Dukes, Knights, all looking for a wife of good breeding. I went on a few of those arranged dates and they were awful. My parents would never force me to marry someone I didn't love, but they encouraged me to try a few, see if maybe I'd find the love of my life. But how can I love someone who wasn't interested in me for me? I tried, but those types of dates didn't work out, I stopped accepting them. There was once this guy I really liked, a commoner I went to school with. When he finally got up the nerve to ask me out, we went to a café for dinner and had a wonderful time. The next morning, pictures of us filled all the local gossip websites, speculating who he was, discussing if I was engaged. He never spoke to me again. I gave up on dating for awhile and threw myself into my schoolwork."

"You were valedictorian," Griff said, when she paused.

Tess nodded. "I loved school. I love learning and writing research papers. It was the best time of my life. I made some friends who were just good friends. I dated one guy for about a month, but when it was found out, he couldn't handle the media calling him and snapping his picture when he went out for a run. He was the last guy I dated, just over a year ago.

"When I planned this trip, I had no intention of meeting someone and falling in love. I just wanted to get away from Arus and think. I'm not going to rule, I'm not interested in pursuing a career in the military, and I don't want to marry some man out of convenience, so what am I going to do with my life? I had planned to travel some, do a little writing, some sketching. I had no ulterior motive. Then I walked into Page Turners. Paige wasn't familiar with Arus and I decided to just let it go at that. I liked her right away and we seemed to click. I wanted a friend who liked me for me. And I found that in Paige. Then…then I met you." She stopped, wiping the back of her hand over her cheek as a tear slid down. "I know now what Cady meant when she said she fell in love at first sight."

Griff took a step toward her, but stopped himself. "I know."

"And..and you didn't recognize Arus either, so I just let it go. I was enjoying being Tess, just Tess. Not Her Royal Highness, Princess Tess. None of you cared about my title or my fortune or my connections to Voltron. It was a new, amazing, freeing feeling. I made some wonderful friends, I fell in love. I got to do things I had never done before: see bands perform in a bar, laying on top of a dugout watching fireworks, just sitting at a bar sharing a drink with friends, going shopping with a friend and not having paparazzi waiting for us when we came out. I got to just be me and I…I was really, truly happy. I was afraid of ruining it, so I kept my mouth shut. I was going to tell you, really I was. I never wanted to hurt you or humiliate you, ever. I realize now how selfish and immature I was being by not telling you and I'm sorry."

Griff set the hammer on the counter and scrubbed his hands over his face. "I just…I just don't understand why, after you knew how I felt, you couldn't tell me. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you. I just didn't want to ruin what we have. When people find out you're royalty or famous, they treat you differently, I never wanted you to treat me differently."

"I wouldn't have."

"If you had known I was a Princess, would you have offered me the position of part-time office manager?"

"Probably not," he admitted.

"Would you have asked me out on our first date?"

"I'd like to think I would."

She shook her head, sadly. "For every guy who wanted to date me because of my title, there was a man who was intimidated by my title."

"I'm not easily intimidated."

She took a step closer. "I am still the same Tess, I just now have a title, some money, and a famous family. I love you, Griff, can you still love me now that you know?"

"This is a lot to process all of a sudden," he replied, picking up the safety goggles. "I need some time to think and hit stuff."

"There's something else."

"Of course there is."

"My family, the Arusian royal family, has magic in them."

Griff looked up at her, skeptically. "What?"

"There is magic in our bloodline, it is strongest in twins. My brothers, Declan has a second sight that allows him to sense when someone close to him might be in danger, and Gideon is an empath. He has the power to empathize strongly with others, he can make anyone feel better. And I am the one who received the Love Knot."

"The what?"

With trembling fingers, Tess undid her watchband and took it off, stretching her arm toward him.

Griff stepped closer and looked down. "What is that? Is that a tattoo?"

"It's my birthmark. My mother has one too, on the back of her neck. It all began with a necklace my grandfather gave my grandmother, it was based on an old Arusian tale. The knot represents the unexpected twists and turns of life, but it is continuous, neverending, like the bond of two people truly in love. My father went to face Lotor, their biggest enemy, and while there, my dad was attacked by a creature that knocked him down, leaving him with a scar in the shape of the Love Knot over his heart. My mother said it was the spirit of her father giving my father his blessing. It bonded my parents as true soul mates." Tess circled her birthmark with her fingertip. "My mother told me it would lead me to my one true love. I didn't believe her. I thought it was just a fairy tale. Then, my first day on Terra, my aunt and uncle took me to Flynn's and I saw your sign."

"You came in and asked me the meaning of it."

She nodded. "I couldn't believe that I would come all the way here and find the knot, find you, in a bar in a small town."

"No. I made that up, it doesn't mean anything."

"It means everything."

Griff lifted his gaze from her wrist to her eyes. "The day I offered you the job, I held your hand and I touched your wrist?"

"You thought it was a static shock."

"What was it?"

"I don't really know, I had never experienced it before."

He whirled away and stormed to the other side of the room. "Are you saying you put some kind of spell on me?"

"No. It doesn't work that way. There is nothing sinister about it, it is just supposed to lead me to the man I'm supposed to be with."

"So, you're a famous, rich, _magical_ Princess?"

"I'm just Tess."

Griff put his hands on the wall before slowly leaning forward and resting his forehead against the wall. When he spoke, it was so quietly, Tess couldn't hear what he said. "What?"

Without turning, he said a little louder. "I was going to ask you to stay."

Tess felt her heart drop to her stomach. She wanted to stay, she had hoped he would ask. "You were?"

"But can you really be happy here?" His voice cracked. "You grew up in a castle, you're a fucking Princess! Could you really be happy living in a small town, in a small apartment above a bar?"

"I could be happy here because I _am_ happy here," she insisted.

He pulled back a fist and punched the wall, leaving a small dent in the drywall, before turning to face her, his eyes shining. "Can you really? It'll be a couple of years before I can afford a proper home."

"I have money…"

"I don't want your money."

"I know that, Griff, you have nothing to prove to me."

His eyes narrowed. "It is very important to me that both of my restaurants make it on their own."

She nodded. "I understand. But I don't care where I live as long as I can be with you. I want to stay here. For the first time in my life, I am truly happy. I have friends, a job I love…"

"Doing data entry at a bar? Really?"

"I enjoy working with computers and, even more than that, I love the people I work with. They make the job worthwhile. I love the bar and what you've built and I can't wait to help with the brewpub."

"Tess, I want to believe that, really I do."

"Then believe it. Come here."

He slowly crossed the old kitchen to stand in front of her.

She held her left hand out to him, palm side up. "Take my hand."

Griff hesitantly laid his hand on top of her's.

"Touch it," she whispered.

Very slowly, he slid his fingers down until the tip of his middle finger touched her birthmark.

The jolt was electrifying. But it was replaced by a pleasant warmth that Tess felt start at her wrist and spread up her arm until her entire body felt enveloped in his feelings for her.

"What…what is that?" Griff asked.

"I'm feeling your love for me," she whispered. "Can you feel mine?"

He nodded, his eyes widening.

"We are meant to be together, Griffin, I love you more than I could ever tell you and I know, without a doubt, that you feel the same way about me."

He swallowed hard and looked from their joined hands to her face.

"Ask me," she requested gently.

"Will you stay?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

"Yes."

"This is forever, you can't just say yes now and then decide in a few years that you want to go back to Arus. I need you in my life."

"This is forever," she repeated. "Arus is, and will always be, my birthplace, my first home, and the home of my family, but my home is now wherever you are. I want to help with Flynn's and Griffin's Irish Rose Brewing, LLC. I want that room upstairs for my office, with filing cabinets, no more banker's boxes. I want…you."

He grasped her hand tightly and pulled her to him. "I love you, Tess."

Since he still held her left hand in his, Tess wound her right arm around his neck and brought his mouth down to her. "I love you, too."

When they broke apart, Griff brought their hands up and he pressed a kiss to her birthmark. Tess gripped his shoulder tightly as she felt her knees weaken. He quickly wrapped his other arm around her to hold her steady.

"You okay?" He asked

She looked up into his eyes, which darkened as his breath quickened. "I'm fantastic. Um, wow, that, uh, that was amazing."

"You felt that too?"

"Oh my God, Griff, that uh, that did something to me."

"Me too."

"Do it again."

He grinned at her before pressing another kiss to her birthmark.

"Stop!" Her knees once again buckled as her entire body buzzed like a live wire.

"I am feeling the overwhelming urge to throw you on the floor and have my way with you, right here."

"And I'm feeling the overwhelming urge to let you."

He pressed kisses up the inside of her arm. "I took the day off. Spend it with me."

"Tearing up the kitchen?"

"If you'd like. Or back at my apartment, tearing something else up."

She laughed and pulled her arm from his grip, throwing it around his neck and hugging him tightly. "I am crazy about you, Griffin McManus!"

He lowered his forehead to rest against her's. "I'm crazy about you, Princess Tess."

She scowled. "Don't call me that."

"Pretty Tess from Arus?"

"Much better. Are we…are we okay?"

"I think so. As long as you promise to be totally honest with me from now on."

"I promise. You're too important to me. I will never again do anything so stupid that could cost me the most important thing in the world to me."

"I'm no longer comping your drinks."

"I never asked you to."

"But I thought you were some poor, unemployed college graduate with no money."

"No, you thought it would make it easier to get in my pants."

He slid his hands down to rest on her waist. "And it did."

* * *

"It wasn't all bad, was it?"

"Hm?" Tess barely registered Griff's question. They were laying in his bed, she rested her head against his shoulder. He had his arm around her shoulders and she had reached up to play with his fingers. It was the hand he had punched the wall with and bruises were surrounding small scraps on his knuckles.

"Growing up a princess, it wasn't all bad, was it?"

She tilted her head back to look at him. "Is that the impression I gave you?"

"You sounded very unhappy."

"No, it wasn't all bad, it was mostly all great. I have the most amazing, supportive family you could ever imagine, I can't wait for you to meet them and I can't wait for them to meet you. I have had amazing opportunities and experiences. And Arus is the most beautiful planet you'll ever see."

"How…how difficult will it be for you to move here?"

Tess rolled unto her side and propped her head on her fist. "They won't be happy about me moving, but they'll support me. They just want me to be happy and you make me very happy."

He ran his hand over her hair before cupping the back of her head and bringing her down for a kiss.

"Will you be able to take some time off next month?" She asked when they broke apart.

"Why?"

"I want you to come to Arus with me. I still have to go back when I originally planned, I want you to meet the family."

"I can probably work something out. I'll talk to Iona and Mike."

Thunder rumbled outside as a summer storm rolled in.

Tess sighed and laid her head down on his chest. "And we will be getting a bigger place. I'm not raising children in an apartment above a bar."

He gently stroked her back. "Children?"

"Don't you want kids?"

"I do."

"I want little red-headed babies."

Griff chuckled. "Maybe in a couple of years."

"Yeah. We have to get married first, get a bigger place."

"Is there anything special I need to know about marrying a princess?"

Lightning lit up the sky and the rain began to fall.

"They'll want us to marry on Arus."

"I don't care where we marry, as long as it happens."

"After we get married, _my_ money becomes _our_ money."

"I think I can live with that. How much are we talking?"

"I could pay off the mortgage of the stone house, buy you all new brewing equipment, buy us a very large home, and still have enough to send our children, no matter how many we have, to college and we'd still be able to retire comfortably."

"Hm. I think I could handle that."

"I'll become your sugar mama."

Griff laughed. "Yes you will. But I was serious, I want the businesses to pay for themselves."

"I know. And I want to help your restaurants thrive."

"_My_ restaurants are now _our_ restaurants."

A loud clap of thunder shook the building and the lights flickered.

Griff kissed the top of her head. "I have to go downstairs."

"No, you took the day off."

"I know," he said, pushing back the covers and getting up. "But we just took a power hit. I need to make sure everything is all right."

"It was just a quick…" Tess broke off when another rumble of thunder was followed by the lights going off for a few seconds before coming back on.

"I'm going to grab a quick shower and head down. I won't be long, I'll bring back food."

Tess stayed curled up in his bed until she heard the door close behind him. It was time to do what she had been dreading since the morning. Getting up, she showered and dressed before settling onto the couch with her cell phone. Turning it on, she discovered she had missed over a dozen calls and more than twice as many text messages.

Somehow, the three local television stations and the paper had gotten her phone number and they all wanted interviews. She ignored those voicemails.

Most of the text messages were from Paige asking random princess themed questions, her favorite one being: **Do woodland animals help you dress every morning?**

She sent her friend a text promising to answer all her questions tomorrow.

And there was one text from Declan: **You're staying, aren't you?**

* * *

On Arus, Declan was in the rec room with his fiancee, his brothers, and Erik watching a movie. He had a realization that morning. What he had been feeling about Tess wasn't that she was in danger, it was that there was going to be a great distance between her and the family, permanently.

He had been out for a run with Gideon when he finally understood what was happening. Without realizing it, his feet had stopped moving and he was standing on the path in the woods, looking around as though he expected Tess to appear.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Gideon asked, jogging back to where his brother stood.

"I don't think Tess is coming home," he said, slowly.

"Why? What's wrong?" Gideon grabbed his shoulders. "Concentrate, Dec, what's going to happen?"

"She's fallen in love."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. She's going to stay…for him."

"But she's safe?"

Declan nodded. "She'll be fine."

When he finished his run and returned to his bedroom, Declan texted his sister. Hours later, she responded with a single word text: ** Yes**

He stared at the screen. It was a bittersweet moment. He was relieved to know she was going to be okay, but still disappointed to know his little sister was going to be so far away. Before he could respond, his phone beeped, signaling another message.

**Don't tell mom and dad yet, I want to be the one to tell them. I'm bringing Griff home with me next month to meet them.**

He texted back: **Griff?**

**The reason I'm staying.**


	11. Surprise

"Absolutely not."

"Dad, it's not up for discussion. My mind is made up."

"You've only known this man for two months," Keith said, angrily. "And we haven't even met him."

Tess sighed, she knew this would be a difficult phone call. "But you will. I'm bringing him home with me at the end of the month."

"Tess," he said gently. "This was your first time on your own, things are very different. I'm glad you've made friends, but to completely uproot your life and move so far away from home because of some guy you've just met, it's just not a good idea."

"Don't condescend to me, Dad, I am a grown woman, I now know what I want with my life and it is to stay here, with Griff."

"Tess," Allura spoke up. "We just don't think you should rush into anything. Come home, we'll talk."

"I am coming home, with Griff, and I'll pack up my things and come back."

"You are not moving in with some strange man!" Keith snapped.

"No, Dad, I'm not. My friend, Paige, and I are looking for a place to rent. I want to live on my own for a while, until next summer."

"Why next summer?" Allura asked.

Tess took a deep breath and steeled herself. "That's when Griff and I want to get married."

"Excuse me?" Keith asked.

"We're getting married, Dad." Her voice shook a little as she said it out loud.

"Oh, Tess," Allura sighed.

"You don't even get to discuss marriage before we meet him and he talks to me," Keith said.

"It isn't official yet," Tess added. "I told him he needed to meet you all first. But it's going to happen."

There was silence on the Arus end of the phone call.

"Dad?" She asked hesitantly.

"Bring him home," Keith said. "But don't do anything irrational."

"Like elope?" She asked.

Allura gasped.

"No, Mom, we're not going to elope."

"Just…just be careful, Tessy," Allura warned.

"Mom, I added a picture to the photo album," Tess said. "Check it out."

"Okay, I will."

"I have to go, I'm meeting some friends."

"Have fun, sweetie." Allura said.

Keith sighed. "Have fun. Be careful."

"I will. Good bye." Tess hung up. Before she had called, she had added a picture of Flynn's sign to the online photo album she shared with her family. She wanted her mother to see the Love Knot, to see that this wasn't just some flight of fancy, this was meant to be.

* * *

With a little help from his father, Declan was able to plan a week away with Brina to celebrate their engagement in New York City. And if they found themselves taking a detour to Houten and seeing Tess, that would make it all the better. This was something he needed to do. He knew Tess was safe and happy. But Declan couldn't stop thinking about her and her new life on Terra, and he wouldn't be happy until he saw it with his own eyes. Part of the reason he knew his father was making this trip happen was because Keith was just as curious and he knew Declan would give him a full report.

He did a lot of planning. They were going to arrive in New York City and drive the two hours to Houten, where he had reservations for a night at a local B&B. Then they were going to return to New York City for three days, he bought tickets to a show and had researched restaurants and museums. He wanted to share as much as he could with Brina.

It was a hot, sticky early August day when they landed in New York. He hadn't told Brina what all he had planned, he wanted the whole thing to be a surprise for her and she was completely in awe of the size and scope of the city.

"I don't even know where to begin," she gasped as they exited the space port.

"We're taking a little side trip before we explore the city."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise."

She laughed and grabbed his hand. "Do you really have anything planned or are you just making it up as you go along and calling everything a surprise?"

He shrugged. "It might be a combination of both."

"You certainly keep my life exciting, Declan."

"And don't you forget it. Come on, we have to go pick up our rental car."

Just over two hours later, Declan pulled to a stop in front of Flynn's.

Brina turned to look at him. "Seriously?"

"What?"

"You used the guise of a romantic getaway to spy on your sister?"

"We're not _spying_ on her."

"Declan."

He grinned at her. "This is our romantic getaway, but I thought that if we were going to be on Terra, and only a couple of hours away, we'd stop in and say Hi."

She unbuckled her seatbelt and glared at him. "You're lucky I love her too and want to see her or else I would be very upset."

He leaned over and stole a quick kiss. "I love you."

"Uh huh. Keep talking, slick."

It was not yet 5:00, too early for the dinner crowd, but the after work drink crowd was starting to trickle in.

The first thing Declan noticed when he walked in was a framed picture hanging on the wall just inside the door. It was a sketch of the outside of the bar and the stores surrounding it. He recognized the style before he even saw the interlocking TAMW, his sister's initials, in the bottom right corner.

Then he saw her.

Tess was standing behind the bar, wearing a polo shirt with the bar's name and logo embroidered over her heart and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was standing in front of the beer taps, pulling down on one and watching, with very intense concentration, as she filled a glass. Behind her stood a dark haired man with his arms crossed over his chest and an amused look on his face. Declan wondered if that was Griff.

Seated at the bar, watching Tess, were half a dozen people.

She pushed the tap back into place and then set the glass on the bar. After a moment, she put the glass back under the spout and pushed the tap handle backwards. She then, very carefully, set the full glass of dark beer on the counter.

The people seated at the bar and the man standing behind her broke out in applause.

Tess let out a triumphant cry. "Look at that! _That_ is a perfect pint!"

A man at the bar reached his hand out to grab the glass and Tess smacked it away. "Not until Griff sees it."

"But the head will settle by then," the customer whined.

"Hold on." Tess reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, framing the shot. "Just let me get a picture."

A door at the far right end of the bar opened and a tall, red-headed man walked out carrying a box filled with bottles that clinked together as he walked.

"Hey, Griff," the man at the bar called out. "Your lady friend just hit me."

Griff set the box on the bar and hooked his arm around Tess's neck. "That's my girl!" He declared before pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "I have no doubt you deserved it, Dave."

Declan narrowed his eyes and studied the man who had his arm around his sister.

"He's cute," Brina whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Look at what I did!" Tess said, excitedly. "A perfect pint!"

"Of course it is, but you can't just stare at it, we need to make money, sell it." Griff said as he started pulling bottles out of the box and setting them on the shelves under the bar.

"Okay, Dave, you can have it." Tess reluctantly slid the glass to him.

"And it only took her three tries," another guy said.

Griff gave her a pitying look. "I don't think working behind the bar is for you, love."

"Ha!" An old man at the bar scoffed. "I'd rather see her pretty face behind the bar than your's or Mike's mugs!"

The other bartender rubbed a hand over his chin, "I thought I was pretty."

"You're so sweet," Tess said leaning over the bar to kiss the old man on the cheek.

Declan watched this whole scene play out before him with a strange feeling in his chest. His sweet, quiet sister had always shunned being the center of attention, but here she was comfortably holding court with half a dozen people at the bar. She was teasing and flirting. She was having fun.

"She's happy," Brina said, as though she was reading his mind.

"Sorry for the wait, table for two?"

Declan turned to see a blonde waitress standing beside them. "Uh, no, thanks, we're here to see Tess, actually."

"Oh, okay. Hey, Tess, visitors!"

Tess looked across the restaurant and did a comedic double take, not believing her eyes at first. Her mouth fell open in surprise, but she quickly recovered, let out cry and ran around the bar to throw herself at her brother.

"Uh oh, looks like your princess has another man," Dave told Griff.

But Griff had seen pictures of Tess's family. After she had told him the whole story, she shared her private pictures with him and he would know her brothers anywhere. "I'm not too worried, Dave. Why would any woman even look at another man when she has this hot piece of pale, Irish tail?"

A woman at the bar snorted. "Because he's tall, dark and handsome?"

"Because that's her brother," Griff said, scowling at her.

"What are you doing here?" Tess asked, hugging her brother tightly before turning to Brina. "I can't believe you're here!"

"I was lured here with the promise of a romantic getaway," Brina told her.

"A romantic getaway? Here?"

"This is a stopover on a very romantically planned trip," Declan explained.

Brina winked at Tess. "So he says."

"Come on, come on, I want you to meet Griff." Tess led them across the bar. "Griff, look who's here! I can't believe they're here! This is my brother Declan and his fiancee, Brina. Dec, Brina, this is Griffin McManus and that's Mike Phillips, one of our bartenders. And these are a few of our regulars, Dave, Josh, Earl, Sophie, Lanni, and Brian."

Declan couldn't help but take notice of her use of the possessive pronoun 'our' as Tess introduced everyone.

The folks at the bar waved and called out greetings while Griff and Mike shook their hands.

"Why don't you guys go get a table and I'll bring some drinks over," Griff said.

"Okay, oh, bring some of your beer, the new IPA is good." Tess turned to her brother, positively giddy. "I still can't believe you're actually here. How long are you staying?"

Declan followed her to a small table. "Just for the night, we got a room at the B&B up the street."

"You're not staying with Aunt Dana? She's going to be so disappointed."

"This whole trip was kind of last minute, I didn't want to put them out."

"I'll call them and have her and Uncle Harry meet us here for dinner."

"Sounds good," Declan leaned back in his seat. "So, you work in a bar now?"

"Yup. I've been doing data entry and keeping on top of the inventory, I've also taken over scheduling and I'll probably take over the payroll eventually. I asked Griff to teach me how to mix drinks, but he thinks I'm too slow."

"It's not that you're slow," Griff said, setting four glasses of beer on the table. "It's that you still have to look up every drink in the book before you make it."

"I'll get it," she muttered.

Griff passed his hand over her ponytail before sitting down. "I know you will, it takes time and practice."

"Oh, Brina! Let me see the ring!" Tess leaned across the table.

Grinning, Brina stretched her arm out across the table.

"It's gorgeous! Did you really design this?" Tess asked her brother.

He nodded. "I'm awesome like that."

Tess rolled her eyes.

"Is that an emerald?" Griff asked, pulling out the chair across from Declan and sitting down.

Brina nodded. "It is. I fly Green Lion in the Votron Force."

"It's a beautiful ring."

"Griff is from the Emerald Isle," Tess said. "He's teaching me about Ireland."

"I can't wait to take her someday." Griff leaned back and stretched his arm across the back of Tess's chair.

"So, Griff, you own this place?" Declan asked.

"I do. I also own the house behind here, we're going to turn it into a brewpub."

"When are you going to do that?"

"Demo just started, I'm hoping to have the brewing started in three to four months and the brewpub open by next fall."

"And what is Tess's role in all this?"

Tess rolled her eyes. "Really, Dec? Skipping the small talk and going straight into the whole 'what are your intentions' speech?"

"It's my job, since Dad isn't here."

"Dad will meet him and grill him in a couple of weeks."

"Tessy, you've only known this guy for two months and you're willing to pick up and move to a whole other planet."

Griff picked up his beer and sat back, watching this exchange with interest.

"I'm an adult, Declan, I don't need you babysitting me."

"I'm not babysitting you, I'm just looking out for you. You're going to be all the way out here, on Terra, alone."

"I'm not alone, I have Griff and I have my friends, not to mention Aunt Dana and Uncle Harry. I think I'll be all right."

"Is this normal?" Griff leaned over and asked Brina.

She nodded. "He's being all stubborn and overprotective and she's just being stubborn."

"So, the stubbornness is part of being a Whitaker?"

"Oh, yes."

"But marrying into this family is still a good idea?"

She grinned at him. "Oh, yes."

"What are you whispering about?" Tess asked.

Brina turned to her. "I'm convincing Griff that the way you guys are behaving is not a good reason for him to run screaming away from this family."

"Ha," Tess scoffed. "He couldn't leave me."

Brina nodded. "And cockiness is another Whitaker trait."

"You made this?" Declan asked, holding up his half empty beer glass.

Griff nodded. "I brewed it."

"It's good."

"It's one of the beers I'll be selling at the brewpub."

"You have a real talent."

"Thanks. From what Tess has told me, you know your beer."

"I like to think I do."

"Too bad you won't be around this weekend, I'll have a stout ready by Sunday."

"Running a bar, brewing, and starting up another place has got to be very time consuming."

Griff shrugged. "It is. But I'm lucky to have Tess helping me and the rest of my crew."

"And Tess is…?"

"My office manager, she'll be a partner."

Declan nodded slowly and took a sip of his beer. "But you're having her pour beers and mix drinks?"

"They're tools of the trade."

"I asked to learn to make drinks," Tess added. "I want to know."

"If you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom," Brina said, pushing back from the table.

"Come on, I'll show you where it is," Tess said, getting up. "I want to go call Aunt Dana and have her and Harry meet us for dinner."

Declan watched while his sister pointed Brina in the right direction before entering a door to the left of the bar. "So, Griff?"

"Yes?"

"You and my sister seem to be moving pretty fast."

"Oh, I don't know about that."

"Moving here is a huge step."

"She wants to, I would never force her."

"Would you consider moving your bar and brewpub to Arus?"

Griff took a sip of his beer, giving himself time to answer. "I'm not going to lie, the thought crossed my mind, but I love it here and my people, I can't just close up and leave them. Tess is happy here, so am I. We want to stay."

"My sister comes with a lot of money."

Griff kept his gaze and tone level as he spoke. "You're insulting both Tess and me when you insinuate that the only reason I am with her is because of her money."

"Tess has led a very sheltered life, this is her first time away from home and I'm looking out for her."

Griff leaned against the table and lowered his voice. "I know you're just looking out for her because she's your sister and it's because I love her that I haven't tossed you out of my bar. Tess is not stupid and I would never take advantage of her."

Declan studied this man as he took another drink. "It's hard for us to know she's going to be so far away and we can't look out for her, like we always have."

"She'll be fine, I promise."

Declan looked up as Tess walked out of the office, her head down as she texted someone on her cell phone. "I'm going to hold you to that."

"All right, Aunt Dana and Uncle Harry will be here in an hour. Paige is going to join us too, she's found a couple of more places for us to check out, one is just a few blocks from here." Tess sat down. "Uh oh, what did you do, Declan?"

"Me?" He asked. "What makes you think I did something?"

"Because Griff's neck is all red like it gets when he's mad. What did you say?"

Griff sat back and smiled at her. "He didn't say anything."

Brina joined them. "This is a really nice place, Griff."

"Thank you, but just wait until you try the food," he told her. "I'm lucky to have the best cook in the world in my kitchen. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get you guys a refill."

Tess waited until Griff had picked up his and Declan's glasses and walked to the bar before turning to her brother. "I know what you're up to and just stop it! Now."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Oh come on," Brina snorted. "Even I know you're full of crap."

"Tess, you've only known him for two months and you're talking marriage."

"I have found where I belong, I know that without a shadow of a doubt. This is happening and once you get to know him, you will all love him too. Stop being the overly-protective brother and show me some support. You know I'm happy, you know this is right."

He nodded. "I know. I'm happy for you, Tessy."

She smiled. "Thanks, Dec."

"Was that one of your sketches I saw when I came in?"

"It is," Griff said as he set their glasses down. "Tess is a little too humble about her talent. There is another one behind the bar and one I'll be hanging in the brewpub."

Declan nodded. "She was always shy about showing off her work."

"Did you tell them your idea for the brewpub?" Griff asked Tess.

"I thought we could use it as a place to display local art," she explained excitedly. "I'm going to put out requests to local artists for artwork to hang on the walls and pieces for the shelves and mantle over the fireplace in the study. It will be the perfect place to showcase local talent!"

"That's a fabulous idea!" Brina exclaimed. "You can have your own local art museum."

"She's coming up with a lot of great ideas," Griff said proudly. "She has already made things run much more smoothly here and I know she's going to be a huge help with the brewpub."

Tess checked her watch. "We have time to run over there before Aunt Dana and Uncle Harry get here, want to see it?"

Declan nodded. "Yeah, that would be great."

"Let me get the key out of the office and we'll head over," Griff said.

" Sounds good," Tess told him. "I'm going to reserve a table for us so we'll have one when we come back."

When they were alone, Brina turned to her fiancé. "She's happy and he's a good man. Lay off."

He smiled at her. "I know, but I can't go any easier on him than I did on Tristan."

They spent nearly half an hour touring the stone house. The kitchen was in shambles, the cabinets all torn down and most of the wall between it and the dining room was torn down. In the front room, the carpet was all torn up and some of the wallpaper already torn down. Upstairs, in what would be her office, Tess was taking care of the demolition, tearing down the wallpaper herself.

They returned to the pub just in time to meet up with their aunt and uncle and Paige. The seven of them enjoyed a great meal and wonderful conversation.

"I like this one," Paige said, sliding her tablet computer over to Tess, an ad for a two bedroom apartment on the screen.

"It's bigger than the other place," Tess said.

"And we can get a cat."

"I'm allergic to cats," Griff said.

"You won't be living there," Paige told him.

"No, but I can't be around Tess if she is covered in cat hair. Besides, I like the place on Pell Avenue, it was closer to here."

"I do like the idea of being able to walk to work," Tess said.

"Have you been to look at any of these places?" Brina asked.

"We have an appointment to see one tomorrow and another on Monday evening," Tess told her.

"Are you allergic to dogs?" Paige asked Griff.

He took a sip of his soda and shook his head.

"Then let's find a place that'll let us get a dog. I want a store mascot."

Tess gasped and turned to Griff. "Can we get a bar mascot?"

"Anything other than a fish tank would be frowned upon by the Health Department."

"But don't pubs in England have pub dogs?" Uncle Harry asked.

"We're not in England," Griff reminded him.

"Can't you claim you didn't know the rules, that being from Ireland you thought it was okay?" Tess pleaded.

Griff laughed. "No! When we get a house we can get a dog, but we're not getting a pub dog."

It was nearing nine when Declan announced he and Brina needed to go check in to the B&B.

Tess and Griff walked them to their car. After shaking hands with Declan and accepting a hug from Brina, Griff bid them goodnight and went back in to the pub.

"Well?" Tess asked her brother. "Do you approve?"

Declan rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I think you found a good one."

Tess waved to a couple who called out a greeting as they walked by. "I did, I really did. What are you going to tell Dad?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, are you telling me he didn't send you here to spy on me, to see what it's really like here?"

Declan laid his hands on her shoulders. "This is a big thing for them to accept, you moving here. Mom seemed a little better about it when she saw the picture of the sign you sent."

"She knows we're meant to be together."

"I'm really happy for you Tess. I like Griff, I like Paige, and I like this place, I think you're going to do really well here."

She smiled at him, tears pricking at her eyes. "Thanks Dec, that really means a lot to me."

He hugged her tight. "You will be back for my wedding, won't you?"

"Of course."

He released her and stepped back. "We're hitting the road early tomorrow, so I guess we'll see you in a couple weeks."

"You will. And let Dad know not to freak out and that I've made some good choices here."

Brina hugged her. "Oh, Tess, I am so happy for you. This is the perfect place for you, isn't it?"

"Yes it is, thanks, Brina. And when you realize marrying Dec is a huge mistake, feel free to come here to get away."

Brina laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Have fun in New York, you'll have to tell me all about it when I get to Arus."

"I will. Goodnight!" Brina walked around and got into the passenger side.

Declan nodded to his sister. "Goodnight, Tessy."

"Goodnight, Declan." She stood on the sidewalk and watched the car carry them away.


	12. Home

The flight to Arus was a very quiet, boring flight. They discovered that Griff gets very air sick and when he took pills they found in the first aid kit to combat it, he slept for hours. What Tess had hoped would be some alone time that they rarely get, ended up being her reading and sleeping while he slept for 25 of the 28 hours they were in flight.

"Oh, man," Griff groaned, rubbing his hands over his face. "This sucks."

Tess laughed. "I guess space travel doesn't agree with you."

He shook his head. "I can't wait to be on solid ground again."

"We're almost there."

He leaned over her and looked out the window, his eyes widening as they approached and the Castle of Lions came into view. "Th-that's where you grew up?"

She grinned. "It sure is."

When they first boarded the ship, Tess had been overcome with nerves. But as they drew closer to Arus, her nerves turned to excitement. She was so excited to be home again, to see her family, and for them to meet Griff. She turned to see him leaning over, his head between his knees.

"Oh, babe," she rubbed his back. "Just a few more minutes."

"I hope you realize how much I am suffering for you," he muttered.

"I'll make it up to you."

He turned his head to look up at her. "Oh, yeah?"

"Of course. When we get home I'll cover your shift so you can take a day to recover."

"That's not what I was hoping for."

"That's what you're getting. Sit up, we're coming in for a landing." Tess couldn't stop her legs from jiggling with excitement. She had her seatbelt unbuckled before they had even come to a complete stop.

"Oh, honey," she sighed when she turned to see him with his head back and his eyes closed, looking even paler than usual. "Just stay here a minute, get used to not moving."

"We may end up staying on Arus," he mumbled through unmoving lips. "I don't ever want to get on a ship again."

"I bet Aunt Becca will be able to help you."

"Just a minute, I need to get ready to stand."

Tess stood beside him, shifting her weight back and forth as she tried to be patient.

"All right." He slowly rose to his feet. "Let's get this show on the road."

Tess slid her arm around his waist and helped him as he walked unsteadily toward the door.

"This is not the first impression I wanted to make on your family," Griff groaned as he laid his arm over her shoulders.

"It's okay, they won't make fun of you…too much." Tess waited for the door to slide open and, as she expected, a crowd was there to greet them. "Um, hi!" She said, stopping at the top of the steps. "We, uh, we learned today that Griff does not travel well, he's not feeling too good."

"Oh, dear," Becca said, smiling. "Come with me, honey, I can give you something for the nausea."

"Thank you," he mumbled, following her.

"You brought home a man who can't fly? Is he really your best choice?" Gideon teased as he stepped forward to hug his sister.

"Hey, Declan already approves, so you have to be nice," she said, hugging him back.

"Oh, Tess! I've missed you so much!" Allura cried, pushing her son aside to greet her daughter.

"Welcome home, Tessy," Keith said, taking his turn to hug her.

"It feels good to be home, I didn't realize how much I would miss…whoa! Sky are you having triplets!" Tess teased when she saw her friend.

"Not funny, you little brat," Sky scowled.

Tess laughed and hugged her. "Oh, you look amazing! How far along are you?"

"Almost six months."

"What're you having?"

Sky ran her hand over her growing stomach. "We decided to wait and see."

It took nearly fifteen minutes for Tess to greet and hug everyone. As thrilled as she was to see them, she just wanted something to eat and to relax. "I want to check on Griff and then I thought we could get something to eat."

"Of course," Allura said. "We'll have some snacks brought into the rec room. Go and freshen up and when you're feeling up to it, join us. We have the guest room in the Voltron wing prepared for Griff."

"Thanks, Mom." Tess could feel herself relaxing. It felt so good to be home and on solid ground again.

Becca met her in the hallway of the hospital wing. "He'll be just fine. I told him to lay still for a few minutes and I gave him something for the nausea. I'll come up with something to make the trip home a little easier for him."

"Thanks Aunt Becca."

"Oh, come here, I didn't get my hug." Becca pulled her close. "It's so good to see you, sweetie."

"You too."

Becca took a step back but kept her hands on Tess's shoulders. "He's very cute."

Tess couldn't even pretend to hide her smile. "He is, isn't he?"

"And the accent?"

"Very charming."

"I would've gone with sexy."

Tess laughed. "Aunt Becca!"

"I'm married, but I'm not dead, sweetheart." Becca winked at her. "He's in room 2."

The hospital was empty when Tess entered and the only closed door was Room 2. She knocked before sliding it open.

Griff was lying on the bed, one arm thrown over his eyes. He lifted it just enough to see it was her and put it back down. "This is so embarrassing."

She chuckled as she approached the bed. "No it's not. They're worried about you, but no one thinks any less of you."

He slowly sat up and turned so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Becca's really nice. She's…Pidge's wife?"

Tess nodded, she had told him all about her extended family and he was determined to keep them straight. "Don't worry about getting up yet."

"No, I'm feeling better. I've been laying here for a while."

"Yeah, it takes some time to say hi to everyone."

He rubbed his hands over his face. "Do you think I'd be able to get a soda or something?"

"Of course."

"Can we just hide in here a little longer?"

Tess laughed and stepped over to the bed. "Come on, I'll take you to your room. Mom wants us to freshen up and then join them in the rec room."

Griff wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, resting his head on her chest.

Tess ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Just need a moment to remember why this flight was worth it."

She chuckled. "Just think, you won't have to step back on a ship for five whole days."

He groaned.

"Come on, you'll feel better after a shower and fresh change of clothes."

"I'm going to get lost in this place at least once." He said as they left the hospital.

"When you're feeling better, I'll take you on a proper tour. Just know there are people all over this castle, feel free to ask anyone if you get lost."

"I can't believe I'm in the Castle of Lions."

"Get used to it, this will be a home away from home for us."

"No pressure."

"This is the Voltron wing," she said as they approached his room. "That's Sky and Erik's room, Declan's room, and Brina's room. Gid and Lynnai stayed in there before they bought their house."

"Where's your room?"

"In the north tower with the other family rooms." She stopped in front of the guest room door. "You look better, your color is coming back."

"Great, so I've gone from ghost white to pasty white."

Tess turned to face him. "Okay, I know you're nervous and you feel like crap, but just know how unbelievably happy I am to have you here."

He gave her a weak smile. "I really am happy to be here."

She opened the door. "Bathroom is through there and they brought your luggage up. You okay?"

He looked around the large, extravagantly decorated room, from the large bed covered in a damask comforter and at least a dozen pillows to the large screen televiewer on the wall to the vases of fresh flowers on the nightstands and dresser. "Uh, yeah, I think I'm okay."

Half an hour later, Tess returned to escort him down to the rec room. "Feeling better?" She asked when he answered the door.

"Yeah, actually, I am. Whatever Becca gave me and just not moving for a little while has really helped." He said.

Tess grinned at him, dressed in slacks, a shirt, tie and sportscoat. "You're all dressed up."

"I thought that if I was going to meet a King and Queen, I should dress up."

"Dad's a Prince Consort, not a King."

"All right, I'm trying to impress my girlfriend's family, I thought I should dress up a little."

She stood on her toes and kissed him. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"You ready for this?"

Griff ran his hand through his hair and stood up straight. "Do I look okay?"

"You look sexy as hell."

"While I appreciate the thought, that is not the impression I am trying to make."

She laughed and took his hand. "Come on."

All talk stopped when they entered the rec room. Tess took a moment to imagine what it was like for Griff to face this large group of people for the first time.

"How are you feeling?" Allura asked, coming over to them.

"I'm feeling much better, ma'am, thank you," Griff said.

"Mom, Dad, this is Griffin McManus," Tess said as her father joined them. "Griff, these are my parents, Keith and Allura Whitaker."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Allura said, taking his hand in both of her's. "Please have a seat, I had them bring soda, I thought it might help settle you stomach."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"It's nice to meet you," Keith said, shaking his hand.

"And you, sir."

Tess looked around. "Do you want me to try and name everyone or should we take it a little slower."

"I want to know if you remember everyone," Declan teased.

"Oh, is that a challenge?"

"Yup."

Starting on the left side of the room, Tess took a deep breath and pointed to each person as she named them. "Okay, Griff, pay attention, there will be a test later. That's Tristan and he's holding Jake, Cady and Sammy, Sky, Erik, Aunt Darcy, Uncle Lance, Uncle Pidge, you met Aunt Becca already, and their three kids, Luke, Tori, and Ben. That's Uncle Hunk and Aunt Patton and their three kids, Casey, Mykel, and Natalia. Next Is Gideon and his wife, Lynnai, you remember Brina and Declan, then Charlotte and Nicky, and last, but not least, is Nanny."

Griff waved. "Hi."

"Please, have a seat," Allura repeated. "I'm sure you're glad to be on solid ground again."

"You have no idea," he said as Tess led him over to the sofa.

"So, Tess told us you have your own business," Keith said as he sat in the chair beside the sofa.

"Yes, sir, a bar and we're in the process of turning a house we just bought into a brewpub."

"What's the difference between a bar and a brewpub?" Allura asked.

"Welcome home, Tessy," Cady said as she sat on the other side of her sister.

"Thanks Cady. It feels good to be home again."

"Sammy has been asking about you, he wants his truck."

Tess laughed. "I left it in my room, I'll get it later. I brought presents for everyone."

"So, Declan was telling me you work in a bar now."

"Yes, and I love it."

"It's not exactly where I pictured you ending up."

"Me either, but it's where I want to be."

"Tess?"

She looked over when she heard her mother address her. "Yes?"

"Did you really hide who you are from Griff?"

Feeling a little ashamed, Tess shrugged. "Nobody recognized me and I just went with it."

"Tess."

"It was nice not being recognized or photographed everywhere I went."

"What happened?" Keith asked.

"Someone at the Independence Day party recognized me and word got out. The press got in touch with me and it was crazy for a little while."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I thought I could nip things in the bud if I just let someone interview me and, hopefully, they'd just leave me alone. So, I sat down for an interview with a local station and the paper, I answered all their questions and told them that I just wanted to live a normal life. For a couple of weeks, people showed up at the bar hoping to see a princess. But it is a small town and I've gotten to know so many people that they just see me as Tess, not a princess. And since I'm not a Terran princess and, unless they're in the military, most Terrans don't know much about Arus, it hasn't really been a big deal."

"If we lived in a larger city, there would be some paparazzi," Griff said. "But in middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania, the novelty wore off quickly."

"Yeah, but we did get invited to the White House and to meet the president."

"You did?" Keith asked, impressed.

"Yup, the invite arrived just before we left, I wrote back and told them we'd love to. I think it would be really cool and I want to see DC." Tess said. "There are still some people who come looking for me, I think they're disappointed I'm not in a gown and crown when they see me."

"Tess, you should be proud of who you are," Allura lectured.

"I am, Mom, but I don't need to flaunt it."

"And you weren't angry when you found out?" Gideon asked Griff.

"I was mad that she wasn't totally honest with me," he admitted. "Not exactly the best way to begin a relationship."

"Oh, Tess," Allura sighed.

"Look, I know I was wrong not telling him everything from the beginning, but we talked, I apologized, and he forgave me. Let's move on." Tess said, still embarrassed by her behavior.

"I don't know if I've _completely_ forgiven you," Griff muttered.

She looked at him, her eyebrows raised.

"Oh, I'm going to make you pay for a long time," he promised.

"I hope this doesn't reflect poorly on us," Allura said. "We tried to raise her better than that."

Tess shrugged. "You did, but then the twins undid everything you tried to teach me."

"Why do we always get blamed?" Gideon asked.

"Yeah," Declan agreed. "All we've done is look out for our siblings."

"And corrupt them," Keith added.

Lynnai groaned and crossed her hands over her belly. "I'm starting to think letting Gideon have a kid of his own to corrupt is a bad idea."

"Should've thought of that before getting knocked up," Gideon said.

"Oh, really!" Allura gasped, turning to Griff. "We tried, we really did try to raise them better."

* * *

Griff seemed to fit in well with Tess's family. He bonded with the twins, teaching them the basics of brewing and he got along great with the kids. Allura and her sisters were utterly charmed by him and he was blending in with the extended family.

After a couple of days on Arus, Tess went shopping with Allura, Cady, Lynnai, Brina, and Brina's mother for bridesmaids dresses. After years of their children dating Allura and Euclida, Brina's mother, had forged a comfortable friendship and they were both excited to help plan the wedding.

As the others went through fabric samples, discussing colors, Allura linked her arm through Tess's and steered her down an aisle.

"So, Tess, you're still planning on going back to Terra?"

"I am. I'm really excited, actually, getting my own apartment, getting back to work."

"And Griff."

"And Griff." Tess stopped at the back of the store and turned to her mother. "Honestly, what do you think?"

Allura smiled and reached up to tuck a lock of Tess's hair behind her ear. "He's a good man, sweetie, your father and I are very impressed with all he's achieved and how ambitious he is. And he obviously loves you."

"He does, and I love him."

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't rushing into anything."

"It doesn't feel like we're rushing."

"I guess having to wait for so long before your father and I could marry makes anything less than three years seem like rushing. I'm very happy for you, sweetheart, we both are, your father and I."

Tess smiled. "Thanks, Mom, that means a lot to me and to Griff."

* * *

"What are we going to do today?" Griff asked.

Tess shrugged. "Do we have to do anything? Can't we just relax? When we get back to Terra, we're going to be so busy."

Griff was stretched out in the grass next to the lake, his arms folded behind his head and his eyes closed. "We're only here for two more days, I want to see more of where you're from."

"Want to go out tonight?"

He opened one eye and looked at her. "Are you asking me out?"

Tess looked at the pencils spread out in front of her and selected a green one. "Yes."

"You've never asked me out before."

"We can hit Alforia."

"You okay with that?"

They had taken a trip to the museum on the outskirts of town because he wanted to learn more about Arus and gone for drives with parents to explore the countryside and get to know each other better, but for the most part they had stayed in the castle. Tess was a homebody when she was on Arus, mainly because that is what she had always been, but Griff was someone who enjoyed being out with people.

She smiled down at him. "Yes, I'm okay with that. I was thinking we'd sneak into town for dinner and maybe go to a bar."

He leaned up on his elbows. "I do want to see how an Arusian bar differs from a Terran bar."

"Oh, turn it off, you're on vacation."

"Sorry, I can't. What are you drawing?"

"You can see it when I'm done."

"Are you almost done?"

"Nearly."

Griff sat up and moved to sit next to her. "Seriously?"

"What?" Tess held the sketchbook up in front of her at arm's length. She had sketched him from the waist up, lying in the grass with the lake behind him. His eyes were closed and he looked at peace.

He rested his chin on her shoulder. "I think you're being generous."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, I look like…like a Disney prince or something."

She grinned. "That's how you look."

"You've got some weird rose-tinted glasses on, Love."

"You are, without a doubt, the hottest, sexiest man I've ever known."

"I hope you always see me like that," he whispered.

"I will." She turned to kiss him.

He nuzzled her neck. "And you are the most beautiful, sexiest woman I've ever laid eyes on."

"I know."

Laughing, Griff gently leaned on her until she was lying in the grass beneath him. "And humble too."

Setting her sketchbook to the side, Tess wrapped her arms around him. "I feel guilty."

"Why?" He continued nuzzling her throat, pressing gentle kisses to her skin.

"I love my family and I love Arus, but I keep thinking about going back to Terra and getting on with our lives there. Does that make me a bad person?"

"Of course not." He lifted his head to look down at her. "You've found what makes you happy and you want to pursue it. I want to get you home too so I can have my way with you."

"I was thinking more about getting my office in the house completed so I can set up shop."

"I thought you wanted to get away from the prying eyes of your family so we could fool around."

"Well, that too."

"Aun' Tess!"

Griff groaned and rolled off her.

"Sammy!" Tess called out, sitting up as her nephew ran to her.

"Consider this your friendly reminder to be smart about fooling around," Cady said as she approached, Jake on her hip.

"Thanks," Tess said, sarcastically.

"Griff, my dad sent me out to get you. He's in his study."

"Where's that again?" He asked, getting to his feet.

"I'll show you," Tess told him, slipping her pencils back in their case.

"No, that's all right, I'll find it, it's near Castle Control, right?"

Cady nodded. "Second door on the left if you take the hallway around Castle Control."

"Thanks." He jogged toward the castle.

"I wonder what that's about," Tess said, flipping her sketchbook to a clean page so Sammy could draw.

"Oh, you know what it's about. Griff asked for a meeting with Dad this morning."

She looked up at her sister. "Really?"

"Oh, Tessy," Cady sighed. "How're you going to plan a wedding on Arus if you're living on Terra?"

"That's what email is for. Besides, I want to keep it simple, I don't need or want a big wedding."

"I really wanted to go shopping for your dress with you," Cady whined.

"You and Mom and Charlotte should come to Terra some time, we could go dress shopping."

"That could be fun. I'll have to talk to Dad, maybe after Dec's wedding."

Tess rubbed her hands on her shorts, she felt nervous for Griff and she wished she could be in there with him. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"I wouldn't worry. Mom and Dad really like Griff. Tristan told me when he talked to Dad about marrying me, Dad was nice about it."

"Are you sure Tristan wasn't lying to make you feel better?"

"Nah, he wouldn't do that. No, Jake, we don't eat Aunt Tess's pencils. So, you're actually going to live on your own? You're the first of us to do that."

Tess gently tugged her pencil from her nephew's grasp. "I'm going to have a roommate. But I am looking forward to it. Just being normal."

"Being a princess isn't so bad."

"No, it's not. I am so lucky, I know that. But, what you have here isn't what I want."

Cady smiled. "I know. You were always the one that was a little different from the rest of us. In a good way."

"I'm going to miss you all, terribly," Tess admitted.

"We're going to miss you, too. This'll always be your home."

"I know. You will need to send me pictures of these two all the time."

"We will." Cady picked up her youngest son and sat him on her lap. "What're you drawing, Sammy?"

"A horse." He gripped the red colored pencil tightly in his right hand and scribbled so hard, Tess grimaced. "For Gamma."

"It's beautiful," Tess told him, gently pulling her sketchpad away from him. "Let's go take it to her."

Allura was in her study answering correspondence when her daughters and grandsons found her.

"Oh, Sammy, that is such a lovely…" She trailed off, holding up the picture.

"Horse," Cady said, trying to cover it with a cough.

"Of course it's a horse!" Allura leaned down and hugged her grandson. "I love it."

Tess sank down on the couch at the far end where she could watch the closed door to her father's study across the hall.

"Maybe if you stare at it hard enough, it will magically open," Cady said, sitting down next to her.

"Oh Cady, leave your sister alone," Allura chided.

"Do you know what Dad is saying to him?" Tess asked her mother.

She nodded. "We talked before he met with Griff."

"And?"

Allura smiled at her daughter. "You'll have to ask Griff."

"We're going out tonight, I want to take him into town."

"I'll arrange for a car for you."

"Can't we just drive ourselves?"

Allura shook her head. "I'll have a guard drive you."

"Mom…"

"Tess, while you're here you will be guarded."

Whatever Tess's response was going to be was forgotten as the door to Keith's study opened.

Keith had his hand on Griff's shoulder as they walked out, he was saying something quietly and Griff smiled and nodded.

"Gwampa!" Sammy squealed, running over to Keith.

"Hey, buddy!" Keith scooped up his grandson and flipped him over his shoulder.

"So, uh, everything okay?" Tess tried not to wince as her voice gradually rose an octave by the end of her sentence.

"I think so," Keith said, carrying Sammy over to the couch and sitting with him on his lap. "Why? Something you want to tell me?"

Tess looked up at Griff who was leaning against the doorframe. He winked at her. "Uh, no."

"Tess told me she and Griff are going to go into town tonight," Allura said.

"We'll get a car for you."

"Okay." Tess stood up. "We'll leave at six. I'm, uh, I'm going to go. Get ready."

"Have fun, Tessy," Keith called after her.

"Okay, what did he say?" She asked as soon as she and Griff were out of earshot.

"About what?"

She glared at him. "You know _what_."

Griff took her hand and kissed it. "It was a private conversation between your father and me."

"Come on, tell me."

Griff turned so they were walking toward the north tower. "Sweetheart, go put on dancing shoes, because we are celebrating tonight." He twirled her away from him. "I'm going to go get dressed."

At 5:30, there was a knock on Tess's door. She stopped in front of her mirror for one last look. She had chosen the dress she had worn on their first date.

Griff stood on the other side of door dressed in khaki slacks and a green button down shirt, in his hand was a single pink rose. "Ah, once again, I feel underdressed."

"I thought you were going to get a tux."

He held the rose out to her. "Don't tell your mother, I may have stolen this from her garden."

She grinned at him. "It'll be our little secret."

"Where are we going tonight?"

"I thought we'd have dinner at Josephinia's Café and then head over to Selina's for drinks."

He held his hand out to her. "Shall we go?"

Tess had called ahead to make a reservation at Josephinia's. It was a small, intimate café made for dates and quiet conversations.

"I guess it's my turn to ask you," Griff said as he opened his menu. "What do you recommend?"

"My favorite is the pear and walnut salad."

"I feel the need to remind you I'm a man, Tess."

After their orders had been taken, Tess slid her hand across the table to take his. "Are you going to tell me what you and my father talked about?"

"We talked about our future."

"And?"

He brushed his thumb over her watchband, causing a quick tingle to run up her arm.

"Stop trying to distract me," she warned.

"We talked about Flynn's and the brewpub, what I had planned for the future."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him I saw you and the family we would have."

She smiled. "What did he say to that?"

"That if you shared the same vision for the future then he and your mother would support you and your decision."

Tess blinked as tears filled her eyes. "Really?"

"He told me that he and your mother couldn't wait to visit Terra as soon as they could, they want to see Flynn's."

"Oh, wow, Griff, this is really happening, isn't it?"

"It is." He kissed the back of her hand. "No turning back now."

By the time they left the café, a handful of photographers were waiting outside.

"Your Highness, who's your date?"

"Princess Tess! Is it true you're moving to Terra?"

"Your Highness! Are the rumors true?"

Tess signed deeply and tucked her head down.

Griff pulled her close and turned to shield her from the flashes.

"This is what I was talking about," she whispered.

"Only two more days and we'll be home away from all this."

"Your Highness! What is your date's name?"

Griff looked up at the man calling out the question. "My name is Griffin McManus. M-little C-big M-a-n-u-s."

"How long have you been dating?"

"About 3 months now."

"Come on," Tess whispered, pulling on his hand.

"Is it serious? Your Highness, is it serious?"

"Oh, it's serious," Griff said, twirling Tess around in front of him, wrapping his arms around her, he dipped her back and kissed her.

Tess wrapped her arms around him, gripping the back of his shirt to keep her balance as flashes went off around them.

Griff stood up, a grin on his face and his arm around Tess's shoulders. "Okay, we've answered your questions and given you what you want, now please leave us alone."

"I can't believe you did that!" Tess gasped when they were safely in the car.

He grinned at her. "You mad?"

"I don't know what I am."

"I want all those wannabes who want your money or your connections to know you're taken."

"Oh, Griff," she sighed and then laughed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You're going to come back to Terra with me, marry me, and have my babies."

At a loss for words, Tess took his face in her hands and kissed him.

"Uh, Your Highness?"

Tess released him, remembering there was a guard in the front seat. "Uh, yeah, um, Franklan."

"Yes, ma'am. Where to now?"

"Take us back to the castle, please," Griff said.

"Don't you want to go to Selina's?" Tess asked.

He shook his head. "Change of plans."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

As they approached the castle, Griff leaned over the front seat. "Can you let us out up here?"

"Are you sure?" Franklan asked.

"Yup."

He pulled over just inside the road that led to the castle garage. "I feel like I should not be letting you out so far from the castle."

"I take full responsibility," Tess told him. "And we're on castle grounds, we'll be fine."

"Thanks for the ride," Griff said as he followed Tess out of the car.

"Okay, so what's the new plan?" She asked as they stood in the field behind the castle.

"I wanted to take a walk at sunset with my girlfriend," he said, taking her hand and heading up toward the castle.

"Sounds romantic."

"I'm known for my romantic gestures."

"Known by whom?"

"The trail of broken hearts I left sprinkled around Houten."

"So the rumors were true?"

"Of course."

"Will you be able to settle for just one woman for the rest of your life?"

"Marrying you means I can't see other women?"

"Afraid so."

"Hm. I may have to rethink this whole 'getting married' thing."

Tess held her left hand out in front of her. "Well, I don't see a ring yet, so this whole 'getting married' thing might not happen anyway."

"You want a ring?"

"It would be nice."

"I'm running a business and opening another," he reminded her. "Money is a little tight."

"Oh, Griff, we can wait for the ring if you want, it's really not that important."

"Don't say that."

"Engagement rings are just an old tradition, it's not necessary for us to get married."

Letting go of her hand, Griff wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him. "Oh, pretty Tess from Arus, I am so madly in love with you."

She tilted her head back to look at him. "I am so madly in love with you and that's all that matters."

Griff reached into his pocket and pulled out a navy blue velvet ring box. "Of course I have a ring."

Tess felt her heart stop, causing her feet to do the same. "What?"

He turned to her, tossing the ring box in the air and catching it. "Of course I have a ring and I want you to wear and be photographed with it so all the men who want to marry a princess know you're taken."

Tess's eyes widened, clapping her hands over her mouth.

"I wanted to get you something special, it's not as big as the ring your brother got Brina. Someday, I'll be able to get you a ring like that."

She shook her head and lowered her hands. "I don't want a ring like Brina's, I just want a ring from you."

Griff opened the box and held it out to her. "Will you marry me, pretty Tess from Arus?"

The ring had a half-carat, round cut diamond in a simple setting. Griff lifted it out so she could see the inscription that started around the outside of the ring and was finished along the inside in elaborate script.

**Le mo ghrasa mise, agus liomsa mo ghra**

"It's Gaelic," he whispered, reading it for her. "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."

"Yes, you are," she said.

"So, you'll marry me?"

"Of course."

A grin spread slowly across his face. "Give me your hand."

"Oh…oh yeah." She held her left hand out to him.

Griff slid the ring on her finger and brought her hand up to kiss her palm. "I love you."

Tess threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close. "I love you too. Come on!" Releasing him, she took his hand and pulled him toward the castle. "You told me we were going dancing tonight. I want to tell the family then convince as many of them as I can to go to Selina's. I feel like dancing."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, sometimes life gets in the way. I had a lot of fun writing this story and your reviews really meant a lot. Thanks for everything!

Oh, and looking toward the future, I see Tess as the one Whitaker who has twins. A pair of little redheaded twins.


	13. Team

Seriously, I was done with this story, and then I got bored at work one day and came up with this chapter. This is a wholly unnecessary chapter written entirely for fun because I just love Tess and Griff.

But this really is the final chapter. For real this time. I mean it. Seriously.

Enjoy,

Falte

* * *

"Did you know the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer?"

"What?"

"The pilgrims had beer on their ship, it wasn't the same as the beer we drink now, it had very low alcohol content, but it was more pure than water at the time."

Griff shifted his gaze from his computer screen to the old sofa across the office. A few months earlier, he had splurged on a new sofa for his apartment and brought his old one to the new office he had finished redoing in the stone house.

At the moment, Tess was lying on her stomach on the sofa, her legs bent at the knees and her feet in the air like a child. Resting on the arm of the sofa in front of her was an open book. Technically, she had the day off, but she was too excited to just stay home, so she had come in to see if she could help out.

"What are you reading?" He asked.

"_A Practical History of Beer_."

"Are you serious?" He laughed. "You are such a nerd."

Tess shut the book and rolled onto her side to look at him. "There is nothing wrong with being a nerd, nerds get stuff done."

"Yeah, you do. What time are you leaving?"

She looked at her watch. "In a few minutes."

Tess' mother and sisters were coming for four days to go over the last of the wedding plans and help her decide on her dress. She and Paige had narrowed it down to three choices and she had promised to wait for her mother and Cady before she made her final decision.

The past ten months had been very busy for Tess and Griff. They not only operated Flynn's, but they were also preparing Griffin's Irish Rose Brewery while planning their wedding. They were a month away from their wedding in June. Griff was able to take a week off and they were going to marry on and honeymoon at a resort on Arus. They were going to have a reception for their friends on Terra at the brewpub in August where they would serve from the new menu and serve Griff's beer.

"Kevin and I have some work to do in the brewing room, but I'll meet you guys at Flynn's at 6:00."

Tess sat up. "I'm just going to show them around this afternoon, we're going to the dress shop tomorrow."

"I'm covering the bar tomorrow night."

"That's all right, we have plenty to do, you don't need to worry about entertaining us."

"I know." He sat back in his chair. "Just let them know I'm not ignoring them."

"Oh, don't worry, they know. Your work ethic and ambition are two of my parents' favorite things about you."

"And my beer is your brothers' favorite thing about me."

"You know what my favorite thing about you is?"

"My accent?"

"Your butt."

Griff laughed. "Glad to see it's nothing shallow."

Tess stood and stretched before grabbing her book. "I'm going to head out, just in case there's traffic."

"Hey," he called out as she crossed the threshold into the hall.

Tess stopped and leaned back into the room. "What?"

"Drive safe, Lead Foot, you don't need any more points on your license."

"Stupid slow Terran speed limits."

Griff grinned and winked at her. "Love you."

"Love you too!" She called over her shoulder as she left his office.

Tess still felt a surge of pride when she entered her office. _Her_ office. It was something she had made for herself and where she worked for her fiancé, helping him grow his businesses. She had designed it all herself, taken down the wallpaper and one weekend Griff had painted three of the walls a pale gray while she had taped off and painted a chevron designed accent wall in white, pale gray, and slightly darker gray. The door, baseboards, moldings, and windowsills were all white. Her desk was antique and white with gracefully curving legs that matched the bookshelf with curved edges. Hanging on the wall were the framed sketch she had done of Griff when they had visited Arus the previous summer and a framed picture of her entire family at Declan and Brina's wedding five months earlier. On her desk, next to her computer monitor, was the framed picture she and Griff had taken the previous fall to officially announce their engagement. It was taken on the wide stone steps of the brewpub. Griff was sitting on the middle step and Tess was sitting one step below him, between his legs, leaning back against his chest. His left hand rested on her shoulder and she reached up to lace her fingers through his, her ring visible as the sunlight reflected off the diamond. Baskets of orange and yellow mums lined the steps, creating an autumnal frame around them.

Griff had finished his office, taken down the wallpaper, ripped up the carpet, brought in a desk, and hung shelves. The two of them had been working out of their new offices since the previous October. Brewing had started in November and they were on track to open the brewpub at the beginning of this coming September.

Tess slipped _The Practical History of Beer_ on the second shelf among her drink mixing guides, beer brewing manuals, and textbooks. In order to help even more, she started taking business classes at the local community college.

Tess grabbed her purse and dug her car keys out. It was an hour and a half drive to the Philadelphia spaceport her mother and sisters were flying in to.

* * *

"Tess!"

Tess looked around, searching the crowd, until she saw her mother waving her arm above her head as she moved through the crowd.

"Mom!" Tess greeted her with an enthusiastic hug. "It's so good to see you! How was the flight?"

"Oh, it was fine, I'm glad to be on solid ground. Once we get our bags and get to the car, I'll call your father and let him know we arrived."

"Can we go straight to the bar?" Cady asked, hugging her sister. "That is just too long of a trip."

"We're going there this evening for dinner," Tess told her. "Char, how are you?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "I'd be better if Cady would stop whining."

"Watch it, knave, you're addressing your future queen," Cady warned her.

Tess laughed. "Come on, let's get out of here."

The ride back to Houten was filled with gossip and Allura gushing over the newest family members, Sky and Erik's six month old daughter, Daphne, and Gideon and Lynnai's four month old daughter, Collette.

"I've learned that the best part of having had so many kids is that you seem to have an endless supply of grandchildren to spoil," Allura said.

"And buying baby girl stuff is so much fun," Cady added.

Tess looked at her sister in the rear view mirror. "Are you and Tristan going to try for a girl?"

Cady shrugged. "If it happens, it happens. If we're meant to just have boys, then we'll have the handsomest, smartest, best behaved…"

"Ha!" Charlotte interrupted. "Best behaved?"

"Be nice, Charlotte," her mother warned. "And besides, they're called the terrible twos for a reason."

"Uh oh, is Jake being a handful?" Tess asked.

"He's just very…determined," Cady said.

"You would not believe how girly Sky is being," Allura said, changing the discussion from criticizing her beloved grandson.

Tess glanced at her. "What do you mean? Sky is the biggest tomboy I've ever known."

"She was, until she had a little girl. So many dresses! Ruffles and ribbons and bows."

"Seriously?"

Cady leaned over the front seat. "We went shopping the day before yesterday and Sky found the cutest pair of white Mary Jane shoes with little yellow bows on them and so, of course, Daphne needed those and a new dress to go with them so we found this adorable yellow dress with a white sash and puffed sleeves! I told her she had to save it after Daphne outgrew it, you know, in case I have a little girl."

Tess shook her head. "I just can't picture it."

Cady shrugged. "Parenthood changes you."

"Has Lynnai decided if she's going back to teaching in the fall or is she going to stay home with Collette?"

"Well, she said she's going to think about it over the summer," Allura said. "But she's having trouble with the idea of leaving Collette with someone else. I think she's going to give up teaching, but just for a little while, she loves it too much. I can see her going back to it when the baby's older."

Tess turned the car into her aunt and uncle's driveway. Since she was sharing a two bedroom apartment with Paige, her mother and sisters would be staying in the much roomier home of Keith's sister and her husband. They unloaded the car and spent a couple of hours chatting with Dana and just relaxing before heading out again. Tess took them on a tour of the town and stopped at the apartment she shared with Paige. Charlotte and Cady were fascinated with the idea of Tess living completely on her own as they explored the two bedroom apartment that took up the second floor of an old Victorian house. Keith and Allura had visited the previous fall, so her mother settled on the couch and made herself at home.

Since they still had time before meeting Griff and her aunt and uncle at Flynn's for dinner, Tess took them down to Main Street. She parked by the bar and they walked through the early evening crowd, checking out stores and ending up at Page Turners.

They were greeted by the sound of the bell hanging on the door and barking.

"No, Quimby, no! No bark." Paige tried sounding stern as she scolded the puppy before turning to her guests. "Hi guys. Should I curtsy or something?"

"Or something," Tess responded. "Jerk."

"Hi, Paige, how are you?" Allura asked.

"I'm fine, thanks. And you? How was your trip?"

Allura bent down to pet the puppy behind the baby gate that kept him behind the counter. "Oh, it was fine. I'm looking forward to a little girl time this week. Will you be able to come to the dress shop with us tomorrow?"

"I'm planning on it. I heard there might be lunch included."

Allura laughed. "Yes, indeed."

"Who is this?" Charlotte asked, scooping up the puppy.

"That's Quimby. Our guard dog at the apartment and mascot at the store."

"Quimby?"

"His name comes from a series of books I loved when I was a kid. And he looks like a Quimby."

Charlotte held him at arm's length. His whip like tail never stopped wagging, he was scruffy and brown with black spots, his left ear was straight up and his right ear was bent down. "Yeah, he does, doesn't he?"

Tess leaned against the counter. "You gonna join us for dinner tonight?"

Paige shook her head. "Nah, thanks though, I have plans and I figured you needed some family time."

"_Plans_?"

"Yes, _plans._"

"Like, Kevin plans?"

"Don't you have to go to the bar?"

"Oh, we have time."

The bell jangled and two young boys barreled through the front door.

"Paige! Can we play with the puppy!"

"You can do better than play," she said reaching under the counter for his leash. "You can walk him down to the corner and pick up his poop! Yay!"

"I'll want details later," Tess told her before turning to her mother and sisters. "Come on, let's head down to Flynn's."

Dana and Harry were already waiting for them when they entered the bar. Tess led them to the large table she had reserved near the back.

"Order a fun drink," Tess said as she handed them drink menus. "And I'll make it for you."

"Really?" Cady asked, scanning the list.

"Tess has become quite the bartender," Dana said. "I'll have a Pirate Punch."

"What's that?" Allura asked.

"It has coconut rum, spiced rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, and grenadine." Tess explained.

"I want to try the appletini," Cady said.

Harry set his menu down. "Sorry, Tess, but I'll just have a lager."

"You're no fun, Uncle Harry," she teased.

"I'll have a pina colada," Charlotte said.

"Think again, missy," Allura said.

Tess winked at her sister. "I'll make you a virgin pina colada. And when you're 21, you'll have to plan a trip here."

"What do you suggest?" Allura asked her daughter.

"For you? How about a mojito?"

"All right, I'll give it a try."

Tess made her way back behind the bar to mix the drinks.

"Need help?" Maggie, the bartender on duty, asked.

"I hope not, I want to try and make these myself. They're for my family, so if they're bad they still have to be nice about it."

Maggie laughed. "Just let me know if you need anything."

"Have you seen Griff?"

"He was in here a few minutes ago. I think Iona lured him into the kitchen."

"Could you pour a lager for me, please? I don't have anything to prove to Uncle Harry. Is everything all right?"

"I think so. Iona is just working on some ideas for the brewpub, she wants a hand in planning the menu."

"Hey there, sexy, what're you making?"

Tess looked up to see Griff leaning over the bar, grinning at her. "What are you smiling at?"

"You're so serious when you mix drinks. It's cute."

"Here, take these over to the table. The beer is Harry's, pirate punch is Dana's, and the pina colada is Charlotte's."

"Am I about to lose my license?"

"Yes, I'm that stupid. It's a virgin."

"Just checking." He picked up the tray. "Almost done?"

"Just need a mojito and an appletini." A few minutes later, Tess carried another tray to the table with her mother and sister's drinks on it along with a beer for Griff and a soda for herself.

"Mm, Tess, I'm so glad you spent all that time studying art history so you could make this for me," Cady said after sipping her drink.

"Glad you're enjoying it Cady, I mean, we can't all spend our lives sitting around doing nothing while waiting to be called up to work."

"Girls," Allura interrupted. "You're sisters, let's be nice to each other."

"Why would Cady start being nice now?" Tess asked.

Cady laughed. "I had to toughen you up."

"Well, whatever you did, she turned out all right," Griff said.

"Aww, you're so sweet." Tess leaned over to kiss him.

"Ugh, no one wants to see that," Jenna, their waitress, said as she handed out menus. "That's unprofessional."

"Hey, I'm not your boss right now, I'm your customer, be nice to me," Griff told her.

"I expect a good tip."

"I expect you to earn it."

After they placed their orders, Allura reached into the large tote bag she had been carrying in place of her purse and pulled out a flat wrapped package. "Since I have the two of you here together I figure this is the best time to give you this."

Tess smiled at her mother. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Four of our six children have needed this, I guess it's a good thing your father and I wrote it up."

"What is it?" Griff asked.

"Remember when I told you the story of how my parents had to change Arusian law so they could marry?" Tess asked him.

"Uh, yeah, because your father was a commoner."

"Well, so are you, sweetheart." Tess slipped her finger under the tape and ripped the wrapping paper off.

A copy of the law that allowed Arusian royalty to marry a commoner without having to give up their birthright to the throne was copied down, by hand, in old style Arusian calligraphy on a piece of aged papyrus, matted above a copy of their engagement photo. The entire thing was framed with dark wood that had Love Knots engraved around it.

"It's beautiful," Tess whispered, tracing a Love Knot with her fingertip.

Allura smiled at her. "The Love Knots were your father's idea. He found an artist in Alforia who did woodwork and commissioned him to make the frame."

"Well, I feel like I should thank you for writing this," Griff said.

"We're all thankful they wrote that," Cady added.

Tess handed it to Griff. "We'll hang it upstairs until we get our house."

"Let's hang it here."

"Where? In the bar?"

He nodded. "On the family wall. I think it's time we start the next generation."

The tears that started welling up when she opened the gift, threatened to fall when he said that. "Really?"

"What's the family wall?" Cady asked.

Griff nodded toward the space between two windows that held several photographs under an Irish flag. "It was Flynn's idea. There's a photo of me and Flynn right after I arrived in the states, my mum and me when I was four, Flynn and my mum with their parents when they were kids, my grandparents on their wedding day, and my great grandparents. He wanted to keep the family feel. I think it's time Tess and I added to it."

"Okay, I'm getting all emotional," Tess said, dabbing her eye with her napkin. "Let's change the subject."

"Actually, there should be something else," Griff said, looking expectantly at Allura.

She reached into her tote bag again and dug around, pulling out a package and handing it to him.

"What did you do?" Tess asked.

"I called your mother a couple weeks ago and asked if she could get something for me," he explained, opening the package that was wrapped in plain brown paper. "I figured we should add a touch of Arus to Flynn's," Griff said as he unfolded the Arusian flag. "I thought we'd hang it with the Irish flag over the family wall."

"That is the sweetest damn thing I've ever heard," Tess said, leaning over to kiss him again. "Thank you."

"Tess, don't swear," Allura said as Jenna approached with their meals.

Griff carefully folded the flag and set it with the framed law on a nearby table. "We'll hang them tomorrow."

Tess leaned over and whispered to him, "I would have totally broken the law to marry you."

He grinned. "Yeah, I'm irresistible like that."

"So, Tess, what's the best part of working in a bar?" Allura asked.

She cleared her throat, trying to dislodge the lump that had grown there. "Besides the food? I would have to go with football season."

Cady snorted. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. It is so much fun! Griff gets all the NFL games and this place is packed every Sunday, it's loud and crazy. People cheering and smack talking each other, it's like a big party every Sunday."

"And people love her," Griff added. "She's becoming quite popular in Houten."

Allura smiled at her middle daughter. "I'm so glad you found this place, Tess, you've really found your happiness, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I have."

* * *

"I am so glad I didn't put mascara on this morning," Tess said as she stood in front of her mother and sisters, modeling the second of the three dresses she had chosen. Her emotions were running high and she felt all morning as though she was on the verge of tears.

Cady circled her sister, her finger against her lips as she studied the dress. "I like the bodice on this dress more than the last one, but I don't understand why you're going with short dresses."

"They're not short," Allura corrected. "They're tea length and you look so beautiful, Tessy."

"I don't like floor length dresses," Tess said, twirling from side to side in front of the mirror.

The current dress was her favorite. It was white and fell to mid-calf. The neckline ended just above her breasts, but a beaded lace overlay started at her throat, made up the cap sleeves, and covered the bodice. The lace design dispersed over the skirt, spreading down and disappearing before reaching the hemline.

"I like this one better than the first one," Charlotte said. "I love the lace."

Cady stopped in front of her sister and studied her. "You've already decided on this one, haven't you?"

"I want your guys' opinions," Tess said weakly.

"Mm hm. You've already decided."

"I love this dress."

"She knew as soon as she tried it on the first time," Paige said.

"It suits you," Allura said. "What about a veil?"

"That I haven't decided on," Tess admitted. "All I know is I don't want it too long or too fussy. Did you bring the tiara?"

Allura nodded, pulling a large square velvet box out of her tote bag. The tiara inside was studded with diamonds and had been worn by Cady on her wedding day and would also be worn by Charlotte when she married.

With the help of the owner of the small dress shop, they tried on several veils with the tiara before settling on a single layer veil edged with a subtle lace pattern that fell just past her shoulders.

As Tess stood in front of the mirror in her dress, tiara, and veil, barefoot, she felt herself so overwhelmed with emotions.

Allura wrapped her arm around her shoulders and met here eyes in the mirror. "It's all just perfect, Tessy. The dress, the veil, the bride, just perfect."

"And the groom," Tess said, her voice trembling.

"You got yourself a good man."

"I did, I really did."

"We'll take it," Allura declared. "We'll take the dress and the veil and we'll get Tess changed before we both turn the dress into a very expensive tissue."

* * *

Tess, her sisters, her mother, and Paige sat at a round table at a Thai restaurant for lunch. Tess' binder was on the table as they discussed the final preparations for the wedding. Her binder was much thinner than Cady's. Tess and Griff wanted a small wedding. They weren't going to have any attendants, just the two of them by the lake on the castle grounds. They convinced her parents to keep the reception small, no media. They would choose pictures from their professional photographer to sell to any magazine or paper who wanted it with all the proceeds being donated to the orphanage in Alforia.

The cake was going to be a three tier chocolate stout cake with vanilla buttercream icing and chocolate ganache poured over the top and down the sides. Their colors were going to be pale green and cream and the flowers were all coming from her mother's rose garden.

"And where are you on the wedding rings?" Cady asked.

"They've been ordered and should be ready to be picked up in two weeks." Tess said, glancing at her phone.

"Waiting for a call?" Allura asked.

"I've texted Griff twice and he hasn't responded. He's working tonight, so he should be off right now."

Paige rolled her eyes. "He probably left his phone in his apartment again."

Allura took a sip of her tea. "How are your plans for the party when you get to Terra going?"

Tess slipped her phone in her pocket and looked up at her mother. "Great. It's going to be our intro to the brewpub for our friends. Griff and Iona are hiring a chef, they have it narrowed down to two people and once they're hired, the new chef is going to work with Iona to put together the menu. We're going to have samples of as many of the foods as we can that will be served at Irish Rose's."

"Sounds wonderful."

"You guys are invited if you want to come back out here."

Allura smiled at her. "I know, sweetie, and thank you, but I don't think we'll be able to. So, take lots of pictures and send them to us."

"We will."

"Are you looking for a house?" Charlotte asked. "You need a place for me to stay so I can visit."

"Griff really wants to stay in the apartment above the bar for a while. He wants to stay as close to the bar and brewpub as he can while we're getting the brewpub off the ground. I told him he has a year. I love the apartment, but come on, it's so small. We'll find a place in town. And you can sleep on the couch when you come visit."

"I'll stay with Aunt Dana."

"Fine, but Aunt Dana doesn't have a fully stocked bar."

"By the time Charlotte is old enough to partake in the fully stocked bar I'm sure you'll be settled into your home," Allura said.

"What're the plans for today?" Cady asked.

Tess shrugged. "What did you want to do?"

"Do you have to work?"

"Nope, I'm off while you're here. Unless I get called in."

"Want to go shopping?" Paige asked.

"Always." Cady replied.

"Let's hit the outlets."

Tess nodded. "Sounds good."

* * *

That evening, Tess dropped her mother and sisters off at her aunt and uncle's house before taking Paige home. She was going back to her aunt's house for dinner, but she wanted to stop in at Flynn's first. Tess had texted Griff several times before he finally responded half an hour ago, apologizing for being busy. Something was up.

She parked behind the bar and slipped in through the kitchen. It was still early enough that the kitchen wasn't too busy.

"Hey, Iona!" Tess greeted the chef and waved to the rest of the crew. "How's it going?"

"Good. Why are you here? Aren't you off?" Iona asked.

"Technically, but I wanted to see Griff. Is he here?"

"He's out there somewhere. He was gone most of the day, just got in an hour ago."

"Where was he?"

Iona shrugged. "He came in this morning and hung your stuff on the wall, then he left and was gone all day."

"My stuff?"

"The picture and the flag."

"Already? Oh! I have to see this!" Tess hurried out of the kitchen and crossed over to the family wall.

Griff had shifted a few pictures, moving the photo of him and Flynn down a little and his grandparents up to make room for the framed law and their engagement photo. He had also moved the Irish flag to the left and hung the Arusian flag to the right so they met in the middle above all the photos.

"What do you think?"

Tess glanced over her shoulder to see Griff standing beside her. "It's perfect. I wanted to help."

"Eh." He shrugged. "I was up early this morning, I thought I'd do it before we opened."

"Thank you." She leaned over and kissed him.

"It's our place now."

"Just wait until we can put our kids' pictures up there."

Griff grinned at her. "Ah yes, the free labor."

"You're gonna replace us with your kids?" Kevin asked as he walked past.

Griff slid is arm around Tess' shoulders. "That's the plan. I've already had people asking about the law. Jenna thinks it's the most romantic thing she's ever seen."

Tess wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him, noticing when he flinched. "What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing."

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "You disappeared for most of the day, you just flinched when I hugged you, something is going on."

Griff took a deep breath and slid his hand off her shoulder and down her arm to take her hand. "Come with me." He walked past the bar, calling out, "Maggie, I'll be back in ten minutes to relieve you."

"Okay, boss," she called back. "But I start collecting overtime in eleven minutes."

"You're worrying me." Tess said as he pulled her up the back stairs to his apartment.

"There's nothing to worry about." He dropped her hand to unlock the door.

"Babe, are you okay? Between the wedding and opening the brewpub and running the bar, are you overdoing it?"

"No, I'm not overdoing it." Griff stopped in the kitchen and tossed his keys on the counter before running his hand through his hair. "I did something today and I'm worried it was a mistake."

"What did you do?"

"I, uh, I thought it would be a grand romantic gesture, but I'm afraid it's going to backfire."

Tess couldn't help but smile at the nervous expression he wore. "Griffin, what did you do?"

"I came up with this idea and looked into it and just did it. Then I got to thinking...you don't like tattoos, do you?"

"Griff, what did you do?"

He unbuttoned the light blue shirt he was wearing, exposing a white bandage on the left side of his chest. "It doesn't look too good right now, it's still healing." Sucking in a sharp breath as he peeled the gauze aside, Griff looked up at her, a worried look on his face. "Do you hate it?"

Right over his heart was a Love Knot. It was about three inches tall and wide, done in all black. Just above it, in small script, was her name.

Tess went to touch it, but he grabbed her wrist. "It's still healing."

"I can't believe you did this," she whispered, her hand hovering over his heart.

"You have a Love Knot on your wrist and, well, I wanted one. I thought over my heart was the best place to put it. Then I remembered that time you said you hated tattoos."

"I, uh, I do, I mean I did. Wow, Griff, this is so sweet."

"You…you don't hate it?"

Tess smiled up at him. "Honey, I never thought I liked tattoos, but I love this and I love that you did it."

"Really?"

She took his face in her hands. "Really." Tess pressed her lips to his in a sweet kiss. "But if you come home one day with a full sleeve, I'm kicking you to the curb."

Griff pressed the gauze over the tattoo. "I did some research and found out that when you get a tattoo it is more susceptible to the sun. Of course I would do something that makes me more sensitive to the sun. This will be my last tattoo."

Tess buttoned his shirt for him and slid her hands around his neck. "It was a very sweet surprise."

"I'm glad you like it," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I spent most of this afternoon worried you would hate it."

"There is nothing about you I could hate."

"I'm going to remind you of that in ten years. How'd the shopping go?"

"Perfectly. I have my dress."

He lowered his forehead to hers. "I can't wait to see you in it."

"I can't wait for you to see me in it. I can't wait to be your wife."

"Wanna fool around?"

"I would love to." Tess said, stepping out of his embrace. "But I need to get to my aunt's house and you need to get downstairs, we're heading into overtime with Maggie."

Griff sighed dramatically. "After we're married you're going to have to fool around with me more often, it'll be your wifely duty."

"Well, if I _have _to. I guess it's a good thing you're so cute."

He grabbed his keys off the counter and followed her out the door. "You already told me you liked my butt."

"I do. Thank you for not putting the tattoo there."

"I thought about it, but I didn't want to mess with perfection."

Tess stopped at the bottom of the steps and waited for him to join her. "Stop worrying, I love it and I love you."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Yup."

Griff leaned down and kissed her. "Love you too."

Tess sat behind the wheel of her car and stared at the backdoor of the bar long after Griff had gone inside. He was working so hard, doing so much, and he still went in early to hang the law and the Arusian flag and then he got a tattoo of the Love Knot because he wanted one too.

"How did I find you?" She whispered, still staring at the back of the bar.

Tess looked down when she felt a tingling on the inside of left wrist. "Okay, I know how I found you. It was meant to be. "

A sudden idea struck and she turned the key in the ignition. That evening, after saying good night to her family, Tess went home and started gathering her supplies. She spent most of the next two days with her mother and sisters, talking about the wedding, gossiping, and shopping, but at night, she stayed up late working hard.

* * *

By the time her mother and sisters were on their way back to Arus, Tess was nearly done. This was something she and Griff had discussed at length and he still had yet to make a decision. Taking all that she knew about him and what he wanted, Tess created what she hoped he was looking for.

It took her nearly a week and when it was time to give him his gift, Tess found herself feeling incredibly nervous. It was Thursday, one of their evenings off together, and Tess was meeting him at his apartment.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," Griff said as she opened the door.

"My boss is a real hardass, I couldn't get away," she teased.

"I think it's time you quit that job, it seems like all you do is complain about what a jerk he is."

Tess fell onto the couch next to him and greeted him properly with a kiss. "Well, the benefits outweigh the negatives."

"Hi." He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Hi."

"I was going to make something for dinner, then I sat down and I really don't want to get up again. Let's order in."

"I can make something."

"Unless you want to go to the store, I only have the makings for grilled cheese or eggs."

"Chinese?"

"Sounds good." Griff leaned over to open the drawer in the end table and pulled out the menu.

After they placed their order, Griff picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels as he talked about amber ale he hoped would be ready to sample this weekend.

Tess clutched her bag on her lap and tried to figure out how to bring up her gift for him.

"Tess?"

She looked up at him. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, I have something for you."

"You do?"

Turning to face him, Tess reached into her bag and pulled out her sketchbook. "I've been thinking. I wanted to do something for you. You've done so much for me and you're so sweet. This is something we've talked about and I, well, I wanted to surprise you with these. If you don't like 'em, that's fine, you won't hurt my feelings. I just…I figured it would be a jumping off point and you tell me what you like and what you don't like and I'll tweak them. And if you don't like them at all, I can do them again…"

"Tess," he interrupted. "What is it?"

Feeling heat rush to her cheeks, she held her sketchbook out to him. "Labels."

"You designed the labels?"

She shrugged, looking down at her bag. "They're just some ideas I came up with, you don't have to use them if you don't like them."

Without saying a word, Griff opened the sketchbook. The first was a label for his IPA, the beer he had been brewing the longest and the local favorite. Within the oval was a silhouette of his mother in the background, two roses curving along the edge of the label, and the text "Griffin's Irish Rose IPA" in script, and the entire image was framed with a Celtic knot border.

He turned to the next page. This label had the same Celtic knot border but inside were the words "Blooming Rose Wheat" in block letters and three interlocking shamrocks beneath the text. On the next page he found the label for his amber ale, "Titian Amber Ale". A woman, her face hidden behind a curtain of red hair, leaned over an old Irish harp. As with the other two labels, this one also had the Celtic knot border.

The next label was for "Love, Friendship, Loyalty Pale Ale". Two hands came in from both sides of the label, meeting in the middle holding a heart with a crown on top. And the last sketch was for the newest beer he brewed, a coffee stout, "Celtic Coffee Stout." This label had a coffee cup at the bottom and the steam rising out of it formed an elaborate trinity Celtic knot. These two labels were also framed with a Celtic knot border and they were all colored in and shaded beautifully.

Tess chewed on her cuticle as she watched him carefully study every image. He didn't say a word, but he would make little noises but she couldn't tell if they were noises of approval or disapproval.

After several long minutes, Griff slowly closed the sketchbook and looked up at her. "I, honestly, don't know what to say."

"Is that good or bad?" She whispered.

"Tess, I could've spent days trying to tell to you what I wanted for the labels and I don't think I could've described the images as perfectly as you have drawn them. It's like you can actually see inside my head for what I wanted. How did you come up with these?"

"I just drew what I thought you'd like."

"They're perfect."

"Really?"

He smiled at her. "Yes. Really. You are officially in charge of all graphic designs needed for the brewpub."

Tess smiled as the pressure she had put on herself lifted. "I was so nervous I thought I'd throw up."

"Really? Why? You're so talented, Tess."

"I…I guess I was more worried about disappointing you. If you didn't like them, I'd feel like I let you down." She blushed and looked down.

Griffl laid his hand on her cheek and forced her to look at him. "You could never let me down. We're a good team, you and me. The bar and brewpub are as much yours as they are mine, that's why I wanted the Arusian flag and why I wanted to hang the law in the bar. You need to stop thinking of it as _my_ bar or _my_ brewpub. They're ours."

Tess gently laid her hand on his chest, over his heart, over his tattoo. "We're a great team."


End file.
